For six weeks during the summer between their first and second years, medical students at Carle Illinois College of Medicine get to choose between training in a clinical setting, enrolling in an elective course, and immersing themselves in a research environment. For Preethi Prem, a rising second-year medical student, the choice was obvious. She wanted to spend her Discovery Learning Period performing research.
“We can spend the six weeks doing any type of project we want,” said Prem, “and I wanted to do research. I didn’t have a huge background in that.”
Prem chose to work with FRC Director Jacinda Dariotis after the two spoke about Dariotis’ HOrmone and NEurological Study of Texting Youth (HONESTY) project, which collected data among 18- to 24-year-olds to measure the biological, social and behavioral determinants associated with risk-taking behaviors. Prem was prepared to dive right in.
“I’m the type of person who wants to get straight into the work. However, I soon realized how important it was to take the time to develop a data analysis plan and properly learn how to use SPSS [Statistical Package for the Social Sciences],” said Prem. “There was a learning curve in using SPSS and working with statistical models generally, but it really worked out because now I have a good foundation for doing analysis.”
The HONESTY project had a wealth of data for Prem to analyze. The study examined the neurological, hormonal, psychological, and contextual determinants of sexual risk, substance use and violent or delinquent behavior to construct a more holistic picture of youth risk-taking. What accounts for disparities between young peoples’ expressed desires and actual behaviors? To assemble this picture, data from the HONESTY project comprised functional magnetic resonance brain imaging, genital swabs, salivary and urine samples, and contextually sensitive self-reports—both in-the-moment text messaging surveys and audio surveys that have been shown to be advantageous for gathering data on sensitive topics.
Given this array, Prem spent much of her time widening the aperture of her research lens.
“First, I was looking just at testosterone and comparing it with drug use data,” said Prem, “But I ended up exploring five different symptoms of risky behaviors and performing a cluster analysis. I looked at total number of arrests, number of delinquent acts performed within the past year, number of positive drug tests, total use of illicit drugs over the lifetime, and number of risky sexual partners.”
This expansion of Prem’s research prowess is a hallmark of what the six-week program can offer. Beyond new skills, students can develop a research mindset.
“The Discovery Learning Period is wonderful because it helps future physicians see the connection between research and clinical work,” said Dariotis. “In just six weeks, a medical student can evolve an understanding of how the research process allows them to think through problems. Preethi’s experience exemplifies how the program fosters dynamic future physicians who can think beyond outcomes and one-size-fits-all interventions to exploring precision prevention and medicine to meet individual needs.”
Although Prem has not yet chosen her specialization, whatever it is, she noted that will use her position to advocate for patients’ voices. And now research might help fuel that enthusiasm too.
“I’m really passionate about advocacy within medicine, because patients deserve to be heard and doctors have a platform and the responsibility to do so,” she said. “The data says so much, and there's so much more in each of the individual participants’ stories. There’s so much nuance to it, especially with behavior. I think it’s important to acknowledge that.”