From an early age, Nicholas Deleon knew he wanted to be a doctor.
So, when Deleon learned he could gain hands-on laboratory research experience at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine (WMed) during the summer between his freshman and sophomore year at Michigan State University, he jumped at the opportunity.
“It just made me fall in love with the science even more,” Deleon, now a first-year medical student at WMed, said of the eight weeks spent in the Science Research Enrichment Program at the medical school in the summer of 2022. “Being able to understand and work with the fundamental basics of the clinical sciences that eventually lead to the patients made me feel like this is what's right for me.”
The Science Research Enrichment Program is a pathway program that pairs rising second-year, third-year, and senior-year college students with a WMed scientist and their research team. The program provides direct, hands-on laboratory research experience with a focus on learners who have not had an opportunity for a deep dive into top-level research in their previous coursework or job experiences.
During the program, Deleon got the opportunity to work with Nichol Holodick, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Investigative Medicine and researcher in the Center for Immunobiology. Under the mentorship of Dr. Holodick and postdoctoral fellow Sarah Webster, PhD, Deleon assisted with research projects focused on B cells and their immune response in the body.
Deleon was able to gain hands-on experience in Dr. Holodick’s lab, sharpening his skills on the use of different lab equipment and techniques. This included dissecting mice and preparing plates.
The experience also provided Deleon with valuable insight into the research process and even taught him important lessons outside the realm of medicine.
"I truly gained the basic knowledge of what it takes to be in a research lab,” Deleon said. “This program really builds your understanding of science, but it also helps you learn lessons that are not necessarily attached to medicine, like being resilient and being able to work efficiently ... This experience really built a foundation for me of how to act as a medical student.”