Community Impact UConn Health

August 21, 2024 | Lauren Woods - Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine

Summer Scientific Research by Connecticut Youth at UConn Health

The High School Student Research Apprentice Program is one of the many programs of UConn Health’s Aetna Health Professions Partnership Initiative

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UConn Health’s Health Career Opportunities Programs (HCOP) summer research program student Maham Chaudhary, 16, working on an experiment in the laboratory of UConn School of Medicine Professor Nilanjana Maulik.

Maham Chaudhary is only 16 but she is already learning how to conduct innovative research experiments at UConn Health, Connecticut’s only public academic medical center with a robust research enterprise.

Maham Chaudhary
Maham Chaudhary.

Chaudhary is entering her senior year of high school at Hartford’s Sport and Medical Sciences Academy in the Class of 2025.

This summer she was part of the unique High School Student Research Apprentice Program at UConn Health. The summer research program invites Connecticut’s talented high school students to gain exposure to the exciting world of research in their state. The program is part of the longstanding Health Career Opportunities Programs (HCOP) led by founding director and associate dean Dr. Marja Hurley.

Chaudhary spent the summer in the laboratory of Professor Nilanjana Maulik, Ph.D., FAHA, Department of Surgery, Molecular Cardiology and Angiogenesis Laboratory at UConn School of Medicine.

“Maham, is a very enthusiastic, highly articulate and an intelligent student. She is highly motivated student, also a good writer and a great speaker. She has consistently demonstrated reliability, personal initiative, and very good management skills as she performed her assigned responsibilities,” shares Maulik who each summer is dedicated to having a new group of HCOP students join her in her research lab.

This summer Chaudhary worked on her very own research lab project with colleagues and even presented her poster on her research findings about the protein, Thioredoxin-1(Trx1), showing that overexpression of Trx1 can increase the survivability of an ischemic skin flap and its mechanism of action after surgery.

“I have never done research before!” she exclaimed. “I was even able to see surgery on a mouse in the laboratory which was very cool. The exciting translational research findings happening at UConn Health are leading to real advances in medicine for patients.”

She not only loves research now, but Chaudhary loves UConn and its people.

“UConn is a caring environment where everyone supports each other,” Chaudhary shares heartwarmingly.

“I love Dr. Maulik. She really believes in us students,” says Chaudhary.

The laboratory of Professor Nilanjana Maulik
This summer the team and trainees in the UConn Health laboratory of Professor Nilanjana Maulik also included (from left to right in photo): Dr. Mahesh Thirunavukkarasu, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, UConn School of Medicine), Dr. Andrea Watters, MD (Surgical Resident, UConn School of Medicine), Prof. Nilanjana Maulik, Ph.D., FAHA (Department of Surgery, UConn School of Medicine), Michael Zarif (undergraduate Student, Boston University), Elizabeth C. Stockman (postgraduate student, University of Texas at Austin), Rachna F. Nambiar (undergraduate, University of Massachusetts Amherst), Gabriela C. Brown (Graduate from University of Connecticut), Maham Chaudhary (high school student, Sport and Medical Sciences Academy), and Javel Stewart (high school student, Classical Magnet High School). Photo taken by lab team member Pavayee T Socrates (Graduate from University of Connecticut).

Since tenth grade Chaudhary has been part of the HCOP program and its enrichment programs helping the youth of Connecticut from all backgrounds and socioeconomic levels have the opportunity to learn more about medicine and science and also the health professions to build a pathway for their careers of becoming future doctors, dentists, scientists or other health professionals to serve Connecticut in the future.

“I am very thankful for HCOP and UConn Health,” Chaudhary shares. “We even got to meet the medical school’s longtime dean Dr. Bruce Liang.” Liang is also a cardiovascular physician-scientist.

What’s next for this high school senior?

“I will be applying to college and hope to get into UConn and study biology!”

She has a message to the other youth of Connecticut like her who are interested in science and medicine.

“Believe in yourself and your studies. It can be overwhelming but embrace the challenge and follow your dreams,” Chaudhary concludes.