Harvard Medical School-Partners Healthcare Center for Genetics and Genomics (HPCGG)

Libby Brush, 2009

This past January I worked with Dr. Heidi Rehm at the Harvard Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics in Cambridge Massachusetts.  Generally, the lab runs a variety of genetic tests including (but not limited to) genetic tests for Noonans, Marfans, Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) and Dialated Cardiomyopathy (DCM).  The focus of my internship however was to work on a clinical research study  involved in publishing data on the genetic causes of HCM.  Specifically, I reviewed over 1500 patient cases to collect clinical information on the patients, entered the data into spreadsheets, and subsequently analyzed the data using graphs and tables for a future publication. I also spent a significant portion of my time researching genetic variants and their clinical significance.  Lastly, I gathered data on the performance of the HCM CardioChip, a clinical genetic test for HCM, to determine its accuracy in comparison with a previous (more expensive) test.

I feel as though I greatly contributed to the data analysis portion of the paper, and believe that I acted in a responsible and professional manner.  I genuinely enjoyed working with the people in the office, and feel as though my contributions were greatly appreciated.

As a result of my time spent at the Harvard Partners Center for Genetics and Genomics I became more inspired to follow my original path towards a career in medicine.  Although I think that clinical research is interesting and of vital importance, I realized that I do not want to simply work in a lab or at a desk. This internship showed me just how important and how much I value patient interaction.  Far and away, my favorite part of the internship was when I was able to go to the Boston Children’s Hospital and learn about the clinical applications of the research I was analyzing.  Therefore, this internship served to strengthen my desire to apply to medical school and work in the more clinical avenues of science.

As a whole, I really enjoyed my time in Cambridge.  I met a lot of very interesting and smart people, who will be great resources and contacts in the future.  I am extremely glad that I took advantage of this great opportunity to explore other careers in science before applying to medical school.  As stated earlier, it only served to strengthen my conviction to one day get my MD and practice medicine.

Please contact the Career Services Office or visit http://www.hpcgg.org/ for more information!