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Show Wirt Andy Hines, M.D., Ph.D. While most of my fellow classmates have already matched for residencies, I will be a fewyears behind everyone. I have taken a little detour by choosing to pursue the joint M.D./Ph.D. program. Although other students have graduated from the University ofUtah with both an M.D. and a Ph.D., I will be the first official graduate obtaining both degrees simultaneously through the new combined degree program. For the first twoyears, I split my time between medical school and graduate school rotations in ' variouslaboratories. After completing additional classwork in molecular biology, I started work in the laboratory of Dr. Andrew Thorburn studying the molecular signalingmechanisms that control the growth and differentiation of cardiac myocytes. Aparticularly interersting and clinically important area of this research is the control of cardiac cell hypertrophy by certain pathological and cell signaling stimuli. The researchso far has been very exciting, with each new discovery further enticing me to question and study the complicated mechanisms of cellular function and disease. Although research has been very important in my education, I also enjoyed my limited clinical experience during the first two years of medical school. Of course, this will be further developed upon returning to complete my clerkships in a year or so. I sincerely enjoyed my first two yearswith all of you, and have many fond memories of our experiences here. I wish everyone good luck with their internships and hope we can all stay in contact. Thanks everyone for making me a part of your life. I would especially like to thank my family and Katherine Hamer, all of whom I love very much. You have all made life in this grueling program actually enjoyable for me, and I couldn't have done it without your unwavering love and support through these years. 57 |
