MD/PhD student Namarata Battula and PhD student Shorbon Mowla had the fantastic idea to bring our Rutgers medical students together with graduate students in a shared symposium. They realized that while scientists, clinicians, and public health professionals are all working toward the same goal of improving human health, we don't often have the chance to learn from one another in the same space. They wanted to create an opportunity for students and faculty to exchange ideas, make new connections, and better understand how discoveries move from the lab to the clinic and ultimately improve the lives of patients and communities. This inaugural symposium was a huge success with 100 attendees, 50 posters, and 6 student flash talks as well as presentations by Drs. Chiara Manzini and Hai Sun. The event ended with a poolside chat by Drs. Gloria Bachmann, Paul Copeland and Mariam Merced where they shared what they think is misunderstood about clinical, basic and public health research, respectively. We thank Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, NJ ACTS - and Rutgers | School of Graduate Studies for their support of this important new initiative.
