How a future physician-scientist found the right fit with the Summer Research Program…and gave back along the way

Which came first—the science or the medicine?  Ask Evan Cherry, and the answer is, well, both. 

Cherry, an M.D.-Ph.D. student at the Texas A&M Health Science Center (TAMHSC) College of Medicine, is currently completing a summer research project at the College Station campus and will begin his second year of medical school in the fall of 2011.

“In high school I fell in love with chemistry II, and then, during my junior year I was a pharmacy clerk at USMD Hospital in Arlington [Texas],” Cherry said.

At USMD, Cherry worked next to the in-patient surgery wing and was exposed daily to patients who had undergone major surgery.  After that experience, Cherry was recruited by the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University where, among other things, he studied the biological structure of organic chemistry.  

“By then, I knew I wanted to be a scientist, and I knew I wanted to design drugs,” he said. “After hearing about the [TAMHSC College of Medicine’s] M.D.-Ph.D. program, I thought ‘what better way to integrate science and medicine?’”

After meeting with Julian Leibowitz, Professor of Microbial and Molecular Pathogenesis and Director of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program, during his sophomore year at Texas A&M in 2008, Cherry knew he wanted to get into translational research—the process of applying discoveries generated from research and preclinical studies to the development of trials and studies in humans.

But first, he needed experience.

So he began knocking on doors.  In doing so, he met Ian Murray, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics and College Station liaison for the TAMHSC College of Medicine’s Summer Research Program which offers medical students on the College Station and Temple campuses the opportunity to work with faculty on research projects in basic science or clinical disciplines.

“We encourage the students and faculty mentors to discuss a summer project before beginning work in the lab,” said Warren Zimmer, Ph.D., Professor of Systems Biology and Translational Medicine and Director of the Summer Research Program.  “This leads to a closer relationship between them and a productive summer gathering data.  Once begun, the program features scientific seminars, workshops and a weekly meeting to explore the principles of scientific investigation, publication, research funding and more.”

The Summer Research Program, it turns out, fit Cherry perfectly.  He applied, was accepted, and for 10 weeks in the summer of 2008, he studied cholesterol medications with Kayla Bayless, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Medicine and, in Cherry’s words, an “awesome mentor.”

From there, Cherry submitted an undergraduate thesis on his cholesterol research with Dr. Bayless to the Texas A&M Library.  He then traveled to Philadelphia to present a poster at a chemical engineering conference, all while completing undergraduate electives in biochemistry and genetics that would bolster his application to the TAMHSC College of Medicine.

As an Honors Fellow, Cherry received a grant for additional summer research, and in 2009 again enrolled in the Summer Research Program with Dr. Bayless and Steve Maxwell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, where he studied chemo-resistant lymphoma.

“Receiving the grant allowed me to experience more summer research,” said Cherry.  “After the Summer Research Program ended, I was able to continue my research with Drs. Bayless and Maxwell.”

As a result, in November 2009 Cherry presented a poster at the 7^th Annual Pathways Student Research Symposium, a Texas A&M System-wide event, where he placed first in the undergraduate engineering and overall undergraduate research categories.    

In April 2011 near the end of his first year of medical school, Cherry and Dr. Maxwell presented their research at the 102^nd annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in Orlando, Florida, and they, including Dr. Bayless, published their research in the May 2011 edition of the journal Leukemia & Lymphoma.

“The [TAMHSC College of Medicine’s] Summer Research Program really got me set in the right direction,” he said.  “It’s a great starting point for anyone who wants to do research, and I knew that I wanted to give back to the program that gave me such opportunities.”

Cherry did just that in 2011.  As a first-year medical student, he made a gift to the TAMHSC College of Medicine to benefit the Summer Research Program.  

“I was always taught that gratitude is important,” he said. “Giving back was my way of saying thank you.”