Health Scholars at the Mayo Clinic

    Besna Erol, Anna Schmidt, Maheen Asim, & Al-Ashir Intisar

    Overview of the Program

    St. Olaf alumni at Mayo Clinic have established a research internship program that provides current St. Olaf students an unparalleled hands-on experience at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. Healthcare is undergoing transformative changes. Understanding how the healthcare team interacts and collaborates to serve the needs of the patient is critical in order to provide the best quality of care. Students will be exposed to how Mayo Clinic provides comprehensive integrated care through weekly seminars and exposure to healthcare innovation/administration. In addition, students will conduct directed research projects.

    A unique aspect of this program includes the opportunity for selected participants to live together in the spirit of support and mutuality. Community living is intended to foster supportive relationships in an environment of reflection and intentionality. Students will work together to make decisions about grocery shopping, meals, upkeep of the living space, and social activities. As part of their commitment to learning from and with each other, participants will be expected to take part in a weekly community meal and community conversation. There is a CLEAR expectation that Health Scholars don’t travel elsewhere for the MAJORITY of the weekends during the internship.

    Program Philosophy

    The Health Scholars at the Mayo Clinic program is made possible by the generosity of distinguished alumni. The program is designed to support students in their vocational discernment within healthcare, provide intensive internship opportunities to enhance their academic profiles and expand their professional networks. As a cohort internship program, students will be selected on their ability to contribute positively to living in community. Competitive students have demonstrated their commitment to serving others, strong communication and teamwork skills, and the ability to take initiative. Additionally, students will be assessed on their fit with specific research projects, based on coursework, lab, and other experiences. Preference is given to students with an academic profile that does not preclude admission to graduate or professional school, students who will be rising seniors, and students pursuing medicine (clinical research projects only).

    2025 Program Details

    • Dates: Tuesday, May 27 – Friday, August 1, ten weeks of hands-on experience
    • Deadline: Friday, February 7, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
    • Tracks: All students will participate in a research project listed below.
    • Stipend: $6,000 will be paid to each student.
    • Housing provided in Rochester, MN
    • Final project (paper, poster, presentation) to be determined by student and a Mayo Clinic faculty mentor
    • How to Apply (see below for details)

    Research Tracks for Summer 2024 (2025 research projects will be finalized by late November):

    The goal of the research experience is to provide students with hands-on experience in clinical research either in oncology, biostatistics, user experience/interface, or neurology/sleep medicine. Research descriptions (below) were written by 2024 Mayo Health Scholars.

    Oncology Research Project: I had the opportunity to conduct clinical research in the field of oncology at Mayo Clinic. I carried out a retrospective chart review of the effectiveness of immunotherapy in treating chordoma, a rare and highly malignant type of bone cancer. This project involved learning to design a data collection platform in REDCap, finding and measuring tumors on CT scans, and creating charts that demonstrate clinical outcomes. I was mentored by a team of sarcoma oncologists on this project, working in the midst of Mayo’s oncology floor. Throughout the summer I also had the opportunity to shadow 14 providers throughout the Mayo Clinic, from cardiology to general surgery to endocrinology. These experiences were instrumental in showing me the rewards and challenges of working in many areas of medicine, and were great opportunities to ask questions and learn from physicians. I also frequently attended guest speaker events and grand rounds, learning about a variety of cutting-edge developments in the medicine.

    Sleep Neurology Research Project: I worked in the Sleep Neurology Lab. My main goal was to learn how to analyze polysomnography (sleep study) and learn more about the neurology of sleep. I spent most of my time practicing sleep scorings and passed a gold standard test to be able to analyze sleep studies for our main research project. I also read articles for our weekly Journal Club meetings that we had with Dr. St. Louis, where we discussed articles in the field and draw connections to our summer research project. In addition to the tasks, I also to shadowed other doctors and conducted informational interviews to learn more about clinical practice and research. At the end of my internship, I created a research poster with the data I analyzed over the summer and presented it during a poster symposium at the Mayo Clinic.

    User Experience/User Interface: I had the opportunity to intern at the Mayo Clinic Media Services Department, where my team and I focused on improving the user interface and experience of the inpatient TV system, MCTV. My role as a UX/UI intern involved establishing the baseline protocols for evaluation of the UI, conducting extensive usability testing, gathering user feedback through intercept interviews with both patients and nurses, and analyzing both qualitative and quantitative data in R and Dovetail. By securing approvals from various departments, I identified key usability challenges, such as complex navigation and poor accessibility features of the current system, and developed solutions to enhance the system’s functionality and user engagement. This data-driven approach will set up the metrics evaluation for the new UI system and will lead to significant improvements, including a more intuitive navigation system and enhanced interface that will support better navigation, access to patient educational videos, aid user orientation, especially for those with visual impairments. Moreover, it will have more customizable and personalization options and reduce the workload on nurses side.

    Biostatistics:  This past summer I had a great research and learning experience at Mayo Clinic with Dr. Stacey Winham in the Quantitative Health Sciences Department. It helped me gain invaluable insights about how collaborative interdisciplinary research works. I also learned about the lives of Biostatistics/Bioinformatics professionals at Mayo Clinic and their educational journeys. Besides exploring and learning about postgraduate educational and career opportunities, I also got to work with a large scale genomic dataset and genomic data analysis and visualization. Overall it was a great learning opportunity that helped me narrow in on my future educational and career interests after graduation.  Students must have completed the prerequisite STAT 272 Statistical Modeling.

    Students will work with a faculty mentor at Mayo Clinic. Projects/mentors for summer 2024 were:

    Summer 2024 Mayo Health Scholars Program

    Pictured (left to right): Stephen Sponsel ’82, Dana Rechtzigel, Prof. Mary Walczak, Al-Ashir Intisar, Maheen Asim, Anna Schmidt, Besna Erol, and Scott Kaese ’83.

    Link to Video of Health Scholars Information Session for Students Applying for Summer 2025

    How to Apply

    Eligibility
    • Current Junior or Sophomore (Class of 2026 or 2027)
    • Good academic standing (minimum GPA of 3.0, not on academic probation or academically dismissed according to the Registrar’s Office and Dean of Students Office)
    • Students selected for the program will be asked to complete the Consent and Disclosure Form
    Desired Qualifications

    The selection committee will consider the following:

    • Ability to represent St. Olaf College in a mature, professional manner
    • Positive attitude and outlook, excellent interpersonal skills
    • Past related academic, research, and/or internship experience
    • Student’s ability to support the mission and values of Mayo Clinic
    Application Deadline and Process

    This program’s application and interview process is combined with the selection process for the Rockswold Health Scholars Program at the Hennepin County Medical Center.

    Students will apply through a video, Handshake, and a Google Form (see details below) by Friday, Feb. 7 at 11:59 p.m. All three components (below) are required for a complete application. 

    1. Two-Minute Video
      • Create a two-minute (or less) video addressing the following questions:
        • Tell us more about your interest in your top choice internship placement. Why do you believe this is the best internship placement for you, and how did you go about making that decision? What do you know about your top choice for an internship site and how does that knowledge contribute to your choice?
      • Students should consider this a formal video. Students are strongly encouraged to use the Video Recording Room in the DiSCO to create their videos. You can make reservations here. Students may also use their computers or phones, but they should make every effort to present themselves professionally wherever they create their video.
      • Upload your video to YouTube. You may make the video Public or Unlisted. If it is Unlisted, only people with the link will be able to view it. In your Google Form Application, we will ask you to provide the link to your video so the selection committee can see it. We will not share your videos with anyone else. For more information on YouTube and privacy settings, please click here.
    2. Handshake Application, Resume and Unofficial Transcript
      • In Handshake, complete and submit the application AND upload your resume (one page) and your unofficial transcript (access SIS and save as a .pdf) and apply for the position.
    3. Fill out the Online Application – Google Form
    • Complete this online application, which includes essay questions, faculty references, rank ordering of internship positions, and space to provide your YouTube video link.

    Selected candidates will be invited to interview. Interviews will be 20 minutes in length.

    Note: The St. Olaf orientation session for selected students will take place in April. Selected students will participate in an orientation session at Mayo Clinic at the end of April or early May. St. Olaf staff will coordinate transportation for the orientation. Students should plan on 4-5 hours, during which they will travel to and from Mayo Clinic, complete paperwork required for Mayo Clinic to perform a background check, and meet faculty mentors.

    Questions?
    Contact Mary Walczak (walczak@stolaf.edu), Faculty Supervisor and Professor of Chemistry, RNS 302A or Dana Rechtzigel (rechtz1@stolaf.edu), Associate Director, Piper Center, Career Development and Coaching (Pre-Health) Tomson 270.