Christian Dang, MD Candidate
Education:
Doctor of Medicine Candidate— University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Class of 2028
Bachelor of Science — University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark.
Personal Statement:
I am NIDA T32 medical student, and under the mentorship of Maegan L. Calvert, Ph.D., I am researching how novel functional neuroimaging techniques like functional near-infrared spectroscopy can be used to study substance use disorders and addictive behaviors. My research interests include: child and adolescent psychiatry, artificial intelligence in therapy, antidepressants, neuroimaging in clinical psychiatry, and behavioral addiction.
Sarah Khot, MD Candidate
Education:
Doctor of Medicine Candidate— University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Class of 2028
Bachelor of Arts — Psychology and Biology – University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Personal Statement:
I am a T32 summer intern in the Addiction Research Training Program, while also being a rising second-year medical student as the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. During college, I was a research assistant in an affective neuroscience lab and conducted research on the relationship between prenatal stress and adult health outcomes. Under the mentorship of Dr. Andrew James, Ph.D. and Dr. Maegan Calvert, Ph.D., I am currently working on two projects. They aim to compare fNIRS- and fMRI-derived brain-behavior associations among adults with substance use disorders and develop a method to increase the reliability of spatial localization in studies utilizing fNIRS. I am interested in pursuing neurology as a future specialty and my research interests are in the neurosciences, primarily in neuroimaging and neurodegenerative diseases.
John Striednig, 2 LT Army HPSP, MD candidate
Education:
Doctor of Medicine Candidate— University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Class of 2028
BS Biology — Southern Arkansas University
AS Biology — National Park College
Personal Statement:
I am a rising second year medical student at UAMS that is participating in the T32 Summer in Addiction Internship. I am currently interested in pursuing a career in addiction psychiatry. Dr. Fantegrossi and I are working on a mouse model project using behavioral assays to determine if chronic synthetic cannabinoid use affects anxiolytic effects of alprazolam.
Macy Owens, MD candidate
Education:
Doctor of Medicine Candidate/MPH – UAMS College of Medicine, Little Rock AR; Class of 2028
Bachelor of Arts – University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN
Personal Statement:
I am a current dual-degree MD/MPH student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences who is supported by the NIDA T32 program this summer as a Medical Student Intern. I am under the mentorship of Dr. Melissa Zielinski in the HEALS Lab and am gaining research experience in scoping review data extraction, conducting assessments as part of a clinical trial, and in supporting community relationships fostered by the Women’s Justice Health Alliance. Prior to this internship, I had completed a senior honors thesis in economics at the University of Notre Dame and in 2022, participated in the LSUHSC Summer Research Internship Program and poster presentation. My research interests include maternal and infant health, mental healthcare, addiction medicine, social determinants of health, and economic implications and feasibility of interventions.