For the hundreds of students participating in Harvard Medical School’s nine master’s degree programs, their studies are designed to prepare them to become the next generation of leaders in basic science, clinical research, medical education, and a number of other fields.
Each year, the School’s Master’s Symposium gives those students the opportunity to come together and showcase what they achieved while at HMS, including their research and capstone projects, and to demonstrate the depth and breadth of their discoveries and contributions.
“The whole point of our program, in particular, is to expose people to high-level research and learn a field which, without the research, would be meaningless,” said Shiv Pillai, program director of the master of medical sciences in immunology program at HMS.
Some HMS master’s students are making impacts in the lab, others across the globe, such as Anahí Venzor Strader, a student in the master of medical sciences in global health delivery program, who participated in this year’s annual symposium on March 24.
Working with community organizations, Strader has been studying neonatal mortality among Maya Kaqchikel people in Guatemala, a country with one of the highest neonatal mortality rates in Latin America.
Strader said she hopes her work will connect the patient with the health system and lead to changes that will “put midwives at the center of the intervention and promote Indigenous culture and Indigenous ways of knowledge and practices.”
“Different lay workers exist all around the world who have the knowledge and have the capacity to be important links to the health system. It’s important for the health system to leverage these workers that already have the trust of the community,” she added.
Building careers and scientists
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, this year was the first in four years that the School was able to hold a symposium where participants could attend in person.
The format blended in-person and online presentations along with a virtual poster session. Fifteen students gave five-minute oral presentations and 10 students presented posters online. More than 100 faculty members, students, and staff participated.
“The nine different programs have such different characteristics,” said Rosalind Segal, dean for graduate education at HMS. “The thing that unites them is they’re all involved in the HMS mission of training leaders in science and medicine, and all are dedicated to making sure that they prepare people for either a future career or a transition in careers.”
Some students said their programs have enriched their knowledge and learning experiences and are preparing them for the next steps in their professional journeys.
“Besides the basic science knowledge that I will definitely carry over in my future career, I think the big part is how to collaborate with others in the same field,” said Alina Shen, a student in the master of medical sciences in immunology program.
“Collaboratively, we are able to achieve something greater than I could have done alone by myself, and I can’t thank my lab mates enough for their help,” she added.
