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Summer Internship Alumni | MCORRP

Meet the Summer Internship Alumni

Each summer, up to 40 undergraduate, medical, and graduate students from schools across the country participate in a paid summer internship program at MCORRP. These students perform a wide variety of tasks, from data collection, analyses, and entering data into our various registries, to shadowing physicians and volunteering at World Medical Relief. With access to MCORRP statisticians and staff, students are able to design their own research projects. At the end of the internship program, students summarize their research in a formal presentation at the Frankel Cardiovascular Center. Furthermore, they are encouraged to develop abstracts on their research for submission to national scientific meetings. Many of these lead to peer-reviewed poster presentations and publications.

In addition to working with the databases and creating research projects, students attend cardiology grand rounds, meetings at the hospital, and lectures on various topics in cardiology, healthcare, and research. Interns also organize social events, field trips, and sports teams, further enriching the “team” experience.

Following a cancellation of the internship in 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, a hybrid program was developed for Summers 2021 and 2022. While we were unable to provide shadowing experiences for the students, we still provided a comprehensive learning environment that included lectures, volunteering at WMR, team meetings, and orientation to registries via Zoom and in-person, along with individual virtual/in-person instruction, based on CDC and Michigan Medicine Guidelines.

A total of 27 students participated in the 2022 MCORRP Student Internship program, abstracting data for seven MCORRP registries. With help from staff, students created and implemented 18 individual research projects; many of these projects have been submitted as abstracts to national meetings. Additionally, interns spent over 300 hours volunteering at World Medical Relief, sorting medical supplies and screening over 8,500 used pacemakers for Project My Heart Your Heart.

MCORRP staff remain grateful for the opportunity to provide the annual summer internship program. Students provide our staff with innovative ideas and creative problem solving, along with helping with the day-to-day work of the registries.

Alumni Spotlight: Clara Bowman and Chloe Kazaglis

Clara and Chloe are both University of Michigan students in the Class of 2025. In addition to serving as our 2024 summer internship student managers, Clara was the IRAD/FMD team leader, and Chloe was a MAQI2 team leader. Clara is an active member of the premedical fraternity, and Chloe works as a CNA at University Hospital. Both are aspiring physicians with a passion for clinical research.

Alumni Spotlight: Jacob McDevitt and Drake Rosenberg

Jake and Drake, both University of Michigan graduates, were our 2023 summer internship student managers. Jake worked on the Pulmonary Hypertension registry, while Drake was the team leader for the IRAD and FMD registries. Jake plans to attend medical school after a gap year in Chicago, where he is currently working as a clinical research coordinator at Northwestern. Drake has recently started medical school at the University of Colorado.

Alumni Spotlight: Trey Feldeisen and Matthew Benson

Trey and Matthew both grew up in Ann Arbor, and left to pursue an undergraduate education at Washington University in St. Louis and Grinnell College, respectively. After working as interns in the 2021 summer internship. Trey and Matthew both served as Student Managers for the 2022 hybrid summer internship. Simultaneously, Trey was a team leader for the IRAD registry while Matthew was a team leader for the CCCTN registry. Both hope to enroll in medical school and eventually become practicing physicians.

Alumni Spotlight: Nicole Souphis and Suzanne Irani

Suzanne and Nicole served as Student Managers in the midst of COVID-19 and had to adapt the internship to a virtual learning environment. While the majority of interns joined us via Zoom, Suzanne and Nicole created a hybrid schedule to allow a limited number of students in the office to work. They offered as many social events as COVID-19 could allow, including interactive game lunches and outdoor walks. Nicole and Suzanne’s flexibility and ability to adapt ultimately led to a successful internship during COVID-19.

Alumni Spotlight: George Cholack BS, MSc

George is a former MCORRP summer intern and subsequently completed his MSc degree through the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research's MSCR program with MCORRP's BRIDGE registry. He worked with the BRIDGE team to publish several manuscripts in journals such as The American Journal of Medicine and Hospital Practice. He's currently a fourth-year medical student at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine and is in the process of applying for internal medicine residency. He aspires to be an academic physician and clinical investigator.

Alumni Spotlight: Cameron Pawlik, BS

Cameron is studying Neuroscience at the University of Michigan and will be graduating in May of 2020. He grew up in Clarkston, MI.

Cameron participated in the MCORRP internship from 2016 -2018. He has worked on multiple registries, has been a project team leader and a student manager. Cameron has worked on multiple registries and has contributed to many publications. He is currently waiting for admission to various medical schools to attend in the Fall of 2020.

Alumni Spotlight: Spencer Morgan, BS

Spencer attended Hope College earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology before returning to his hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Spencer participated in the MCORRP internship from 2016- 2018. He has worked on multiple registries, has been a project team leader and a student manager. Spencer has worked on the Cardiac Rehabilitation Registry, BRIDGE, PHS, MAQI2 registry and has contributed to many publications. He is currently working at MCORRP as a project coordinator for various registries.

Alumni Spotlight: Khadijah Hussain BS

Khadijah grew up in Ann Arbor, MI and attended the University of Michigan and graduated with a degree in Bimolecular Science.

Khadijah participated in the MCORRP internship program from 2016-2018. She has worked on multiple registries, has been a project team leader and a student manager. Khadijah worked on the BRIDGE, PHS, MAQI2 registry and has contributed to many publications. She is currently attending Western Michigan School of Medicine, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Alumni Spotlight: Thane Feldeisen BS

Thane grew up in Ann Arbor MI, and graduated from Grove City College majoring in Biochemistry and minoring in Biology.

Thane participated in the MCORRP internship program in 2016 and 2017. He has worked on multiple registries, has been a project team leader and a student manager. He worked on the BRIDGE, PHS, MAQI2 registry and contributed to many publications. He is currently attending University of Michigan School of Medicine, in Ann Arbor Michigan.

Alumni Spotlight: Ryan Rogers BS

Ryan grew up in Pinckney MI, and graduated from the University of Michigan majoring in Biology.

Ryan participated in the MCORRP internship program in 2015 and 2016. He was a student manager and project team leader. Ryan worked on the BRIDGE and PHS registry and contributed to many publications. He is currently attending Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, Michigan.

Alumni Spotlight: Sevan Misirliyan BS

Sevan grew up in Novi, MI and graduated from the University of Michigan majoring in Biopsychology, Cognition, and Neuroscience.

Sevan participated in the MCORRP internship program in 2013 and 2014. She was a student manager for that summer, she was responsible for coordinating events for the new interns. Sevan worked on various registries and contributed to many publications. She currently is enrolled in Wayne State Medical School in Detroit, Michigan.

Alumni Spotlight: Rachel Krallman BS Project Coordinator PHS/BRIDGE/FMD

Rachel began working at MCORRP in 2012. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2011 with a BS in Brain Behavior and Cognitive Science. Rachel is an active participant of the yearly MCORRP summer internship and has presented research findings at national conferences. She also participates in middle school screenings during the spring and fall in order to obtain physiological data from students participating at PHS programs.

Alumni Spotlight: Eric Puroll BS Project Coordinator MHYH/WMR

Eric worked at MCORRP the summer of 2012 where he worked on the MHYH Project. He graduated from Hartwick College in 2011 and majored in Biology and was a successful student athlete on the soccer team. Eric is an active participant of the yearly MCORRP summer internship and has contributed to several publications and will be planning to travel to Africa with the MHYH Team.

Alumni Spotlight: Lindsey Gakenheimer-Smith MD

Dr. Lindsey Gakenheimer-Smith received her medical degree at the University of Michigan Medical School. She then completed her pediatric residency at the University of Utah / Primary Children's Hospital and is currently completing a year as Chief Resident. She is a Visiting Instructor in the Division of Pediatric Inpatient Medicine. She practices as a hospitalist at Primary Children's Hospital and the Primary Children's unit at Riverton Hospital. Her clinical interests include the care of hospitalized pediatric patients.

Her current academic and research interests include pediatric global health and medical education - particularly training residents as teachers. Her previous research has included quality improvement projects to improve neonatal feeding outcomes after congenital heart disease surgery and evaluating the safety of magnetic resonance imaging in pediatric patients with pacemakers.

Alumni Spotlight: Sherry Bumpus PhD, MS, FNP-BC

Dr Sherry Bumpus graduated from the University of Michigan in 2012 with her PhD where she completed her undergraduate degree as well. She is currently an assistant professor of Nursing at Eastern Michigan University. She practices as a Family Nurse Practioner at the HOPE Clinic in Ypsilanti Michigan.

Dr Bumpus worked for MCORRP in 2010 for a few years and on several projects and has attended and presented at many national conferences. She has also contributed to many publication supporting her program of research with cardiac patients and outcomes research.

Alumni Spotlight: IK Olomu BS, MS

IK is originally from Okemos Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2011 and continued his studies in the School of Informatics. HE works for the NFL(National Football League) as a Design Researcher.

Mr Olomu worked for MCORRP in 2008 and worked on several projects. He attended many national conferences and contributed to many publications.

Alumni Spotlight: Adam Leidal MD

Dr Adam Leidal grew up in Commerce Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2010 and the University of Michigan School of Medicine in 2017. He is currently finishing his residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Dr Leidal worked for MCORRP beginning in 2006 for a few years and worked on several projects. He attended many national conferences and contributed to many publications.

Alumni Spotlight: Danielle Stahlbaum MD

Dr. Stahlbaum works in Chicago, IL and specializes in Internal Medicine. Dr. Stahlbaum is affiliated with Mercy Hospital & Medical Center. She received her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. She also speaks multiple language, including Spanish.

She worked for MCORRP beginning in 2007 for a few years and worked on several projects. She attended many national conferences and contributed to many publications.

Alumni Spotlight: Geoffrey Barnes, MD MSc

Dr. Geoffrey Barnes is a cardiology and vascular medicine specialist at the University of Michigan. He is an active health services researcher with MCORRP. He graduated from Washington University in St. Louis in 2003 and the University of Michigan Medical School in 2007. He then completed a residency and chief residency in internal medicine before completing cardiology and vascular medicine fellowships at the University of Michigan. He completed a Master's in Health and Healthcare Research at the University of Michigan in 2015.

Dr. Barnes has been active in MCORRP since 2006, exploring outcomes related to anticoagulation. He serves as co-director of the Michigan Anticoagulation Quality Improvement Initiative (MAQI2). He serves as on the board of the Anticoagulation Forum as well as in leadership roles with the American Heart Association's Peripheral Vascular Disease council and the American College of Cardiology. He is a regular contributor to ACC.org. He remains committed to exploring quality of care and outcomes related to anticoagulation along with efforts to implement evidence-based care and the use of patient-physician shared decision making.