Meet our first MIS class: Monce Escobar Arteaga
Monce Escobar Arteaga: a young scientist making a medical career pivot
After getting her undergraduate degree in psychology with a minor in biology, Monserrat “Monce” Escobar Arteaga assumed she would eventually go to medical school. “As a first-generation student, going to medical school was the traditional path I was expected to take, and that was the only path that I knew of.” However, while her work immediately after graduation strengthened Escobar’s desire to work in medicine, it led her to a different path altogether.
“When I took a year off to work as a clinical research coordinator at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC), I discovered I really enjoyed the industry side of clinical trials,” said Escobar. “I loved learning about the newest advancements in science.” In the course of her work in the GI lab, Escobar also realized that newer protocols from industry were leaning away from biopsies and toward less invasive tools like biomedical imaging.
Maximizing the resources of medical research
Always eager to learn, Escobar took advantage of her location at the nexus of two research-rich campuses, Vanderbilt University and VUMC, and attended many of the lectures she saw advertised in the employee newsletter: “I would go almost every Friday during my lunch break to lectures.” It was there she saw information posted about the new, one-year Master of Imaging Science (MIS) from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, housed within the renowned Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS).
“I was intrigued by the program,” Escobar said, especially with how well the MIS would prepare her for a PhD program in cognitive neuroscience, her ultimate goal. The MIS would give her a good foundation in imaging modalities plus in-depth research experience, “And I liked the fact that it (the program) was new. Within my community, I don’t really know other people who’ve been in grad school, so there are not a lot of people I can reach out to, especially in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields.” Harkening back to her experience in clinical trials, she added, “I am always willing to be a test subject.”
Blazing a path to a PhD
An aspiring neuropsychologist, Escobar hopes her next step will be her doctoral program. For now, she is immersed in the MIS program, which she describes as ” very challenging, but between the professors and my classmates, it’s manageable. The professors are super helpful, willing to get to know us as people,” she said, also crediting the tight-knit, inaugural cohort and “the comradery among us. Once you understand the material, there’s this wonderful feeling of accomplishment that you get.”
“As a Latina in STEM, I am representing the entire community,” Escobar said. “From the elders who never made it past grade school to the young adults starting their first year of college. I truly do hope that I inspire those around me to continue aiming higher.”
The application for Vanderbilt’s MIS class of 2025 is now open. Meet the class of 2024, learn more about the program, and apply by Feb. 15.