Meet the Avery-Cohen PSTP Associate College Advisors: Dr. JP Arroyo and Dr. Jessica Wilson
Get to know a little bit more about the Avery-Cohen (Chapman) PSTP Associate College Advisors!
JP Arroyo, M.D., Ph.D.
What residency/fellowship program and year are you in?
I'm one of the second year Internal Medicine residents, and I'll be a Nephrology Fellow starting in July 2017.
How did you first become interested in research?
I visited my Physiology professor's lab and became interested in how you try and discover what happens when you ask a question we don't yet know the answer to.
Where did you go to medical school, and what brought you to Vanderbilt?
It's been kind of a winding path. I went to Medical School in Mexico (which is 6.5 years straight out of high school). I became involved in basic science research towards the end of my training. I then pursued a Ph.D. in Renal Physiology at Dr. Gerardo Gamba's lab in Mexico City. I thought I wanted to become a surgeon, but when I did my General Surgery intern year at Yale, I realized very quickly that I didn't want to spend my life in the OR. So, I transitioned to the lab again, and did a two year post-doc in Renal Genetics and Hypertension with Dr. Rick Lifton at Yale. It was then that I applied to Vanderbilt. I was granted an interview, and I was amazed with the support Harrison Society members receive in the Fellow-to-Faculty transition (probably the best program in the nation for that). It was an easy decision after that!
What are your ultimate career goals?
I want to become an academic nephrologist with a basic science lab. I want to teach (physiology and pathophysiology are my favorite subjects!) and hopefully still see patients on a regular basis.
What unique perspective do you bring to physician-scientist training?
My short training in surgery gave me a sort of "big picture" view of medicine and has helped me in triaging patients. Medicine patients can be very complex, and sometimes trying to sort through why a patient is in the hospital can be difficult. The focus on big picture I obtained from my surgery intern year, together with the emphasis on pathophysiology has helped me see patients and their problems a little bit more clearly.
What advice do you have for current MSTPs?
Enjoy what you do. That doesn't mean that you should like everything you're doing. (Nobody likes to run a PCR for the upteenth time because of pipetting errors.) Instead, it means learn something from everything you do. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in the moment and just try and finish something without giving it much thought, only to realize later that there was a valuable lesson to be learned.
What is one "fun fact" about yourself?
I'm a huge fan of the early U.S. Space Program (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo). I've dragged my family to Hunstville, AL twice in our 1.5 years in Nashville. I then behave like a child on a sugar high jumping in and out of the exhibits at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. It's awesome! =D
Jessica Wilson, M.D.
What residency/fellowship program and year are you in?
Endocrinology fellowship
How did you first become interested in research?
Learning about pituitary physiology, working with Dr. Devin and Dr. Blevins at the Vanderbilt Pituitary Center while I was an undergraduate.
Where did you go to medical school, and what brought you to Vanderbilt?
I attended Vanderbilt Medical School (I was accepted early during college). My husband (Robert Wilson, orthopedic oncology fellow) and I stayed as we couples matched and felt this was the best fit for both of us.
What are your ultimate career goals?
I want to be a physician-scientist at an academic institution and continue clinical/translational research in endocrinology.
What unique perspective do you bring to physician-scientist training?
My research experience is primarily clinic/ translational. I received an MSCI while a fellow and have experience with clinical trials.
What advice do you have for current MSTP students?
Surround yourself with successful people. Select a mentor who you admire and who you think will try to make you a better scientist.
What is one "fun fact" about yourself?
1) I have a 10 month old son, Robert III.
2) I can hula dance. (I lived in Hawaii for eight years while my father was in the Army.)