Life-Health Sciences Internship (LHSI)

Approximately 5% of people with Alzheimer's Disease will present symptoms before the age of 65. The LEADS (Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study) conducts critical research in participants with Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD), which is significantly understudied compared to Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD). This study has 20 sites across the United States that are essential in understanding critical differences between EOAD, LOAD, and Cognitively Normal participants. Neurodegeneration of the brain occurs differently in each situation, and studying the differences is essential to establishing proper therapies and treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. One main way to study this disease is through cognitive testing. There are many different forms of cognitive testing that target deficits in language, attention, memory, vision, understanding, and more. Through this internship, my overall understanding of neurodegenerative cognitive testing grew significantly. I also developed many transferable skills that I can incorporate into my future career endeavors. 

Strengths as a Team Member:

• When taught how to do something, I am a quick learner and can replicate the process relative quickly. 

• I am not afraid to ask questions because that is how I learn best in a work, professional, and school environment. 

• I have always been a hard worker. I am able to manage my school work, internship, jobs, and personal life because I am dedicated to whatever opportunities I am given.

• I have always worked well in groups/teams. I have also grown through my experiences as a campus ambassador, mentor, and other professional environments that involved collaboration. I always do my best to allow others to be heard and contribute to the situation.  

• As an intern, I have worked hard to communicate with my supervisor can complete any tasks expected of me. As the semester progressed, I was able to work more independently on tasks rather than with my supervisor. 

Professional Growth:

• This internship has allowed me to meet people that work for the IU School of Medicine, and who conduct research for Indiana University. Through these connections, I have continued growing in my ability to collaborate in a professional environment. 

• Through this internship, I learned more about the many functions of the brain, and how they are impacted through specific markers of EOAD. I was able to shadow procedures, imaging, and learn about the impacts of this disease. 

• I was able to make connections with other staff members in the Neurology Department that have allowed me to learn more about the cognitive testing process and it's significance in the research process. This networking experience allowed me to increase my communication skills, and have more opportunities and pathways opened to me. 

Contributions:

• Although my site tasks may seem small, I was able to contribute to the success and outcome of this research study. I spent a lot of time creating participant binders, reviewing quality control documents, transferring charts, and more. Completing these tasks allowed the coordinators to have more time to conduct cognitive tests, take participants to imaging, and more. When not completing these tasks, I was able to shadow many different cognitive tests that allowed me to interact with participants and learn more about the neurodegenerative disease as a whole. 

Successes:

• This year I have successfully shadowed cognitive testing. I have learned what specific tests target in the brain; specifically, relating to language, understanding, vision, memory, and attention. This has helped me to understand the overall disease progression and outcomes of Alzheimer's disease, as well as other neurodegenerative diseases. Each disease progresses differently in each participant, which has been extremely interesting to learn throughout this internship year. 

Challenges:

• The most challenging thing about this internship has been scheduling. My schedule limits me to two days a week, and sometimes there are no participants in that day or time. This has made it more difficult to shadow throughout the semester. Working with my supervisor, and the other site, I have been able to schedule shadowing in advance. This has allowed me to learn and experience more at these sites. It has also enhanced my organizational skills and ability to coordinate/communicate with professional staff members, which will be transferrable to any job or professional opportunity in the future. 

Internship Goals

• Develop skill competencies for participating in research processes

  • Beginning of Internship: By completing this goal, I will have research experience that will allow me to pursue more experiences in the future. I will understand the processes that goes into conducting research and many of the tasks/responsibilities that go along with it.

  • End of internship: This internship has allowed me to understand the complex details and requirements necessary for conducting proper research. I have learned many things about the behind-the-scenes processes, and have contributed to the documentation process. 

• Expand oral and written communication skills, as well as professionalism in the workplace

  • Beginning of Internship: Achieving this goal will be useful in any future job, internship, or any professional experience I may have in the future. I will need to be effective in all of these areas when in a professional medical, clinical, lab, or other work environment. 

  • End of Internship: I have grown in my ability to communicate professionally with many different people in this research study, as well as outside of this specific study. These connections have opened many more doors for me in the research field. 

Career/Academic/Professional Goals

• Attend Anesthesiologist Assistant School

  • Beginning of Internship: In the future, I want to become a Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant. I am unsure if I will specialize in any specific area of anesthesia, but this internship will allow me to explore the field of neurology and neurodegenerative disorders. This internship will also allow me to better understand if I want to consider doing research in the future, or focus on patient care.

    • End of Internship: This experience has allowed me to realize that I want a patient-focused career. This internship did not give me a lot of opportunities to interact with the participants because I was doing a lot of the behind-the-scenes work. In the future, I want a career that allows me to get to know my patients, so I plan to focus on clinical care. 

• Current Skills 

  • Communication - This internship requires strong communication skills. I communicate with my supervisors, current/past interns, and other research personnel, requiring strong etiquette with in-person conversations, email conversations, etc.. Since starting my internship in the fall, I feel confident in my communication abilities in a variety of different circumstances. 

  • Teamwork - Many tasks at this internship are independent. Before I was fully trained, I communicated with a past LHSI intern at my site to learn how to do assigned tasks. This required strong communication and teamwork to make sure I am trained properly. To this day, I do my best to ask questions when confused, so that I can continue to grow. As the internship is coming to an end, I am confident in my abilities to complete tasks independently with little assistance.

  • Independence - I always try my best to do my work independently. However, some participant cases may be unique, which requires me to continue asking questions when needed. In most cases, I am able to independently complete tasks. 

• Skills to Grow 

  • Integration and Application - I would like to continue growing in my ability to apply past knowledge to certain experiences at this site. I will use the knowledge I have about neurodegenerative diseases to further understand the research at this site. I will continue to listen and learn the outcomes of the research conducted at this site to integrate all of the information I have learned. 

    • Since starting my internship, I have been connected to another site that focuses on cognitive testing for a myriad of neurodegenerative disorders. Through this other site, I have been able to understand deficits in the brain that result from neurodegenerative disorders. 

  • Internship Goals - As I continue this internship, I want to continue working towards my goals at this site. To grow this skill, I will continue to evaluate and reflect on my progress. If necessary, I will also adjust any goals to reflect my learning experience.