Pre-med students partner with Social Work faculty member to support older adults with bleeding disorders
Wayne State University School of Social Work Associate Professor Tam Perry will be working with five Wayne State (WSU) students to explore important aspects of aging for those with a bleeding disorder.
The Aging with Hemophilia student research team will be working with Perry to support her recent National Hemophilia Foundation funded Innovative Investigator Research Award grant "Navigating Time and Space: Experiences of Aging with Hemophilia". The project is working to examine the lived experiences and time horizons of aging persons with hemophilia (APWH) to determine the needs, facilitators and barriers experienced by APWH. The project aims to enhance service delivery practices and concrete ways NHF and its chapters can better support older members of the bleeding disorders community.
"I have identified pre-med students eager to learn more about this project," says Perry. "Each one of them has their individual interests in gaining more research experiences, but I want to emphasize I chose to mentor them due to their cumulative enthusiasm and collaborative nature. The student research team is very excited about the scientific knowledge to be generated and we have already begun to meet and discuss their work style, interests, knowledge of hemophilia and experiences related to this project (e.g., working with medically fragile children or older adults in nursing homes)."
The student researchers each received funding from the WSU Undergraduate and Research Opportunities Program (UROP) to support their work on the project. The UROP Undergraduate Research and Creative Projects Award aims to have undergraduate students put theory into practice through an engaged research and mentorship experience with full-time faculty who are leaders in their field.
The Aging with Hemophilia team will complete research ethics training prior to beginning work and will be comprised of the following pre-med students from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Mike Ilitch School of Business:
Samir Al-Khouri
Samir Al-Khouri is a pre-med student with a major in biological sciences and a minor in psychology. His involvement in this research project will allow him to achieve his long-term goal in gaining the necessary experience he needs to be ready to apply to a medical school and a post-baccalaureate program at Wayne State University. He has had previous experiences in a clinical setting that will aid him in his research study about patients that are dealing with hemophilia as they age.
Misha Ansari
Misha Ansari is a pre-med student whose involvement in this project will assist her in applying to medical schools as well as other post-baccalaureate programs. This research project is meaningful to her, as she's worked with older people for most of her life, and her previous experiences are supplemental in the research aspects of this project. Being involved in this project has provided her with skills in research methods as well as given her an opportunity to unlock her potential in many aspects of her education and beyond.
Abeer Gobah
Abeer Gobah is an accounting student that is on the pre-med track. Her involvement in this project will help her in applying to the Post Baccalaureate Program at Wayne State as well as medical school. This project will provide her with experience in research as well as an opportunity to be involved in a field related to her future plans.
Sukrut Nadigotti
Sukrut Nadigotti is a pre-medical student majoring in biology with a minor in psychology. His involvement in this project will allow him to conduct research on a field heavily related to medicine, particularly gerontology, which will allow him to burgeon the skills necessary to be a competitive student in medical school. His interest in evolving healthcare infrastructure and previous experiences in clinical settings is valuable for this research project.
Aisha Patel
Aisha Patel is a pre-medical student majoring in neuroscience and minoring in psychology. Her involvement in this project will allow her to have other research opportunities along with more knowledge to be able to develop her own studies. Her involvement in this project will also help her with medical school in the future.