Two UConn medical students are putting their fourth year on hold to attend the National Institutes of Health Medical Research Scholars Program.

Jackeline Rodriguez-Smith and Radhika Nakrani ’10 (CLAS) are among 45 students in the country selected to the 2013-2014 program and the first from the UConn School of Medicine.

“The next year will undoubtedly be a life-changing experience for Radhika and Jackeline,” says Joan Caron, director of medical student scholarship and research. “They will be doing research with and learning from some of the best scientists in the world. This experience will provide new and tremendous opportunities for these gifted young women. Both will be great representatives for the UConn School of Medicine.”

Nakrani and Rodriguez-Smith will spend the next year as full-time researchers in Bethesda, Md. Each will be assigned a research mentor.

“I learned about this program as an undergrad doing basic research at the College of Idaho, and I thought it was an impressive program,” says Rodriguez-Smith, an Idaho native. “You spend a year down in Bethesda, and I thought that was great because I want to incorporate research in my career.”

Between volunteering, being an Urban Health Scholar, her active involvement in the American Medical Student Association, and an alternative medicine summer program in Washington after her first year, Rodriguez-Smith’s commitments as a medical student haven’t left much time for research.

“I’m looking forward to delving into research again,” she says. “I hope to have a productive year, to update my research skills, and perhaps learn new aspects of research. Most of my research in the past has been basic science. This would be translational or clinical.”

Nakrani says she explored several options for suspending medical school for research, but the NIH program was her first choice.

“I knew that I really wanted to get involved in a year of research and have that protected time to be able to explore those interests,” Nakrani says. “Having this opportunity of a stipend-paid fellowship year to do research at an institution like the National Institutes of Health is not something to pass up.”

Nakrani attended UConn as an undergraduate on a Nutmeg Scholarship and was accepted into the Combined Program in Medicine, majoring in molecular and cell biology. As a UConn medical student she’s done volunteer work in the community and basic science research in the lab, and has served on the curriculum committee and the board of directors for the UConn School of Medicine Outreach Clinic at the South Park Inn.

“Coming into medical school I knew I wanted to work with patients,” she says. “Going through my third-year clerkships I realized I wanted to be directly involved in patient care but also do more, and have the opportunity to do something that would influence the way medicine is practiced. Especially now with evidence-based medicine, coming up with the evidence that drives clinical practice and helping bring new knowledge to the bedside is something that’s important to me.”

The NIH Medical Research Scholars Program is open to medical, dental, and veterinary students, but the majority of the scholars are medical students.

“The acceptance of our students into this prestigious program is an indication of our success in enhancing opportunities for scholarly endeavors for our medical students,” says Dr. Suzanne Rose, UConn School of Medicine senior associate dean for education. “We are very proud to have Jackie and Radhika, both of whom are creative and innovative researchers, representing the school on this national scale, and we wish them the best in their year-long enrichment. We hope these students will inspire others to take steps in this direction.”

While neither is completely certain what field of medicine she wishes to pursue, Nakrani says she’s leaning toward dermatology, and Rodriguez-Smith says she’s interested in obstetrics and gynecology.

Correction, 9/29/2015: Dr. Scott Oakes, who graduated from the UConn School of Medicine in 1998, was a Research Scholar at the NIH during the 1995-96 school year.

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