Student Profile: Alexander Sheu, Honors Program in Medical Education,
Howard Hughes Medical Institute FellowWhere is your hometown?
I was born in Ann Arbor, Mich. and raised in Rochester Hills, Mich. What is your educational background?
I studied biomedical engineering at Northwestern as part of the Honors Program in Medical Education (HPME). You were recently awarded the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Fellowship. What was the process like?
Most of my research experience had been limited to summers, and I knew I wanted to pursue a full-time project after these limited times in the lab. HHMI Fellowships offer students the opportunity to innovate and investigate a topic of their choice for a full year, so I felt that this experience would not only serve as a powerful introduction to the life of a physician-scientist but would also fit seamlessly into my undergraduate and medical training schedule that had already been shortened to seven years by the HPME program. I wanted to make sure that I allowed myself enough time to give careful thought and planning to my project, so I applied in early October to Feinberg’s Research Thesis Program. By December and the holiday break, I was returned home to Michigan for some rest and relaxation, but I also spent the afternoons at my local library working on the HHMI fellowship application. After nervously clicking the submit button in early January, the long wait began for the notification. The application was always running in the back of my mind, but I was completely unprepared when Melanie Daub from HHMI emailed me to notify me of the offer. I was halfway through the email when Melanie called personally to congratulate me. She said I should feel free to take some time to think about it, but my response was “absolutely, yes!” For any students interested in research but who do not think the full MSTP experience is for them, I wholeheartedly recommend applying to this fellowship. It is a long application, but I suggest that interested students look at it as preparation for a project that they would do regardless of the outcome of the fellowship award. There is plenty of value in the application process itself.
What is your Fellowship research focused on?
The project aims to develop magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques that optimize selective transcatheter-directed intra-arterial delivery of natural killer (NK) cells for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma. The idea is that intra-arterial delivery of NK cells will enhance tumor localization of NK cells compared to intravenous delivery, leading to improved therapeutic outcomes in an animal model (that would eventually translate to patient care). The long-term goal is to develop MRI techniques that predict tumor response based on NK cell delivery, allowing for the adjustment of NK cell dosages for maximal therapeutic efficacy. What has been your best experience at Feinberg?
Anatomy lab really brings your medical school class together. Carefully dissecting apart the brachial plexus and reviewing the vasculature of the lower limbs were my first hands-on medical and surgical experiences. These opportunities solidified what I was learning in textbooks and in lectures. I remembered my experiences in first year anatomy lab during my board exam. There is something about the tactile feeling of tissue that stays with you and cannot be replicated by computer models.
How would you describe the faculty at Feinberg?
Faculty here are unbelievably responsive to students. The school encourages and facilitates student and faculty interactions, and this is incredibly evident in both the medical student curriculum and in research opportunities for students. Even the way Galter Library is set up demonstrates the school’s commitment to a two-way exchange of ideas and knowledge between students and faculty; the countless study rooms with conference tables are perfectly set up for problem-based learning sessions of six to seven students working with a faculty mentor. Additionally, medical students each have a college mentor that take a personal interest in the students’ career and training. As for research, faculty mentors (such as Dr. Larson and Dr. Omary – both of whom I have worked with for the past two years) are very welcoming to students and help guide students with projects that both build on the students’ current skills and push the student to pursue new directions as well. What do you do in your free time?
I have been learning more and more about photography, and I love bringing my camera around with me when I explore the city. Some of my favorite subjects are candid shots of my friends or of cars — my other big passion in life. I hope someday to have a nice rear-wheel drive, manual transmission project car that I drive at track days on the weekends. What are your plans for after graduation?
My plans have not changed much in the past decade: I still want to be a doctor when I grow up. It has become focused a bit more though – I want to train as a resident at a hospital that not only supports my development as a physician but also as a scientist. My first few years in medical school have shown me the impact of innovation on patients’ quality of life, and I want to be a part of that push for new knowledge. I love seeing that the elegance of converging lines of evidence is shared by both patient care and investigative research. | 
