Medical student-mentor teams in research: Anna Norman and mentor Dr. Nancy Moran share their experience with SOAR
In this new video episode of From the Labs SOAR series, you will meet third-year medical student Anna Norman and her mentor Dr. Nancy Moran as they have a conversation about how the SOAR program brought them together to conduct basic science research and how the experience is shaping their careers. Moran is an associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor and a member of the USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center and the Dan L. Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Learn about their research on children’s and family nutrition, the impact of carotenoids during pregnancy, and the importance of mentorship in medical research. Discover how this experience has grown Norman’s ability to analyze data, write scientific papers and present her work to scientific audiences.
Norman has published her research findings in the Journal of Nutrition and also won a poster competition for her corresponding presentation at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Nutrition. Additionally, the SOAR committee awarded Norman funding for her travel expenses to present her work at the Nutrition conference.
This study expands our understanding of the influence of genetic variation on the concentration of skin carotenoids. Norman investigated the potential association of 13 candidate genetic variants with skin and plasma carotenoid concentrations before and after a carotenoid-rich tomato juice intervention. The findings support the possibility that some portion of variability of skin carotenoid concentration may be explained by genetic variation.
The Office of Student Opportunities for Advancement in Research (SOAR) is dedicated to educating and supporting BCM medical students in pursuing research opportunities.
For instance:
- The SOAR database helps faculty and students find matching research projects.
- SOAR provides information on how to complete the NICER attestation form, participate in scientific and medical conferences and learn from the Student Research Educational Resources.
- SOAR Travel Awards are available to support student research presentations at scientific and medical conferences.
Faculty members interested in offering research opportunities to medical students are encouraged to submit their research projects to the SOAR database. Learn how, here.
Students interested in acquiring research experience can search the SOAR database to find projects of interest, here.
For more information, email SOARoffice@bcm.edu
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