Geisinger Commonwealth student accepted to research program

Meredith Hanrahan of Orland Park, Illinois, a first-year medical student at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) has been accepted through a competitive process to participate in the Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes, sponsored by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

“I am interested in diabetes research because the disease affects so many people, including some close to me,” Ms. Hanrahan said. “I have already conducted diabetes-drug development research – I did so for three years at Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson. Also, I find metabolic pathways and the mechanics of the endocrine system fascinating. My interest in these topics makes me think I would like to practice medicine as a specialist in endocrinology.”
 
 The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) is an institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). NIDDK’s mission is to conduct and support medical research and research training and to disseminate science-based information on diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases; digestive diseases, nutritional disorders, and obesity; and kidney, urologic, and hematologic diseases, to improve people’s health and quality of life.

The Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes provides the opportunity for medical students to conduct research under the direction of an established scientist in the areas of diabetes, hormone action, physiology, islet cell biology or obesity at an institution with one of the NIDDK-funded Research Centers during the summer between the first and second year or second and third year of medical school. Ms. Hanrahan will conduct her research at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, which is an NIDDK-funded research center. The program provides a stipend, in addition to the research opportunity.

The Medical Student Research Program in Diabetes helps students gain an improved understanding of career opportunities in biomedical research and a comprehensive understanding of diabetes, its clinical manifestations and its unsolved problems.

At the conclusion of the summer, Ms. Hanrahan will present a brief summary of her work at a scientific symposium in Nashville, which all program participants throughout the nation attend.

About Geisinger
Geisinger is among the nation’s leading providers of value-based care, serving 1.2 million people in urban and rural communities across Pennsylvania. Founded in 1915 by philanthropist Abigail Geisinger, the non-profit system generates $10 billion in annual revenues across 134 care sites - including 10 hospital campuses, and Geisinger Health Plan, with 600,000 members in commercial and government plans. The Geisinger College of Health Sciences educates more than 5,000 medical professionals annually and conducts more than 1,400 clinical research studies. With 26,000 employees, including 1,600 employed physicians, Geisinger is among Pennsylvania’s largest employers with an estimated economic impact of $14 billion to the state’s economy. On March 31, 2024, Geisinger became the first member of Risant Health, a new nonprofit charitable organization created to expand and accelerate value-based care across the country.  Learn more at geisinger.org or connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X.