Name: Amul Choudhary

Internship, Co-op or Research Site: National Institutes of Health/NCI

Position Title: Intern

Major(s)/Minor(s): Biochemistry / Molecular Biology

Work Term: Fall 2016

Briefly describe your internship, co-op,  or research opportunity, including your day-to-day tasks, responsibilities, and assignments.

My internship took place inside the Division of Cancer Treatment & Diagnosis at the NIH Headquarters in Bethesda, MD. Daily, my main project at the start was development of a searchable database of patients so that the department could observe trends in demographics, cancer types, and trial enrollment as well as work on speed in onboarding new patients. To accomplish that, I had to first overhaul some of the onboarding procedures the DTCD was using. While developing the database, I worked on a Phase II trial analyzing patient responses to a drug and eventually my analysis was used as part of a published (pending) manuscript. I presented my findings at Fort Detrick in Frederick, MD to some of the administration of the NCI as well as participated in the NIH Poster Day. This was all during the summer and now I am back there during the Fall continuing to refine and expand the powers of the database as well as shifting through results of other trials hoping to add to other ongoing publications..

Describe the process of obtaining your internship, research, or co-op opportunity.

I applied through a personal contact, then was asked to gather letters of recommendation and submit to a background check before being given an interview.

What have you enjoyed the most about your position or organization/company?

Meeting some amazing people and expanding my network

How do you believe you have made an impact through your work?

The analysis I completed for the Phase II trial will most likely play a major role in having the drug in question approved by the FDA.

What advice would you give to another student who is seeking an internship or similar experience?

Be ready to commit time outside the office and do lots of research on your own time to be always up to speed. After all, "opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." A lot of work is the pure drudgery of pouring through patient files, but also some of the most interesting discoveries are made at the 11th hour.

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