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 Confirmed for 2025:

    The goal of the research experience is to provide students with hands-on experience in clinical research with a faculty mentor.

    Students will work with one of the Mayo Clinic mentors below for Summer 2025:

    Oncology Research

    One student will be involved with a review of Immunotherapy in patients with chordoma treated with immunotherapy. The time of day to work on this project is flexible.

    Multimedia Distribution Platforms Project with Mayo Media Support Services

    One student will participate in a study to evaluate new patient services and patient care team services being delivered through the Mayo Clinic TV platform in the hospital setting. Measures will include impact on patient satisfaction and patient outcomes, as well as the impact on nursing efficiency and satisfaction. The student will help develop survey instruments, interview patients and staff, analyze results, and participate in planning improvements to the user interface. The student will also interact with the Usability team, Nursing Administration and Video Engineering.

    Role of the Immune System in Cardiovascular Disease

    The Lutgens and Leiner laboratories investigate the role of the immune system in cardiovascular disease. In this summer-student project, the Lutgens lab will team up with the Leiner lab to detail imaging characteristics of coronary atherosclerotic plaques of patients using AI-based algorithms and correlate these findings with an array of co-stimulatory immune checkpoint-based biomarker profiles in blood leukocytes of the same patients. The role of key co-stimulatory immune checkpoints found to correlate with coronary artery disease will subsequently be investigated in our basic science models. This summer internship will be a combination of basic science, computer science and imaging.

    Thoracic Surgery Research

    Shadow in clinic and in the Operating Room as student interest dictates, and work on a clinical research project on a topic in thoracic surgery.  Thoracic Surgery deals with both malignant and benign diseases of the chest.  We primarily deal with issues related to the lungs, esophagus, mediastinum, and pleural diseases.  We also are involved in lung transplantation.  In the past, St Olaf Scholars have presented their research projects at national/international thoracic surgery meetings. 

    Biostatistics #1 – Student must have completed STAT 272

    The project will be focused on statistical analyses of genomic data in breast and ovarian cancer.

    Biostatistics #2 – Student must have completed STAT 272

    The scholar will join the Anesthesia and Critical Care Biostatistics team with the opportunity to work on collaborative research applying data science and statistical methods to clinical research studies.  Examples of recent summer projects include: (i) analyzing outcomes of a randomized clinical trial comparing interventions for post-surgical anemia, (ii) a cohort study evaluating variation in blood pressure measured often during surgery and how that variation relates to post-surgical outcomes, and (iii) a cohort study quantifying bleeding risk in critically ill patients who get aspirin and anticoagulant medications. The scholar should be aware that there will be a few in-person team meetings during the summer, but most team and project meetings are conducted virtually. Additional coursework including SDS 264 or SDS 284 are favorable but not required.  Students completing their junior year highly preferred.

    Business/Administration – Mayo Collaborative Services

    The Intern will be assigned to support the buildout of a quality, regulatory, and compliance office organization, tools, policies, and procedures for Mayo Collaborative Services (MCS) under the direction of an Operations Director and a Senior Manager. Tasks will include review and organization of documentation, organizational recommendations, cross-functional work with other MCS and Mayo Clinic teams.  The intern will be given full responsibility for an independent assignment relating to one of the quality, regulatory, or compliance functions.

    2024 Research descriptions (noted below) 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. Written by Anna Schmidt

    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. Written by Besna Erol

    User Experience/User Interface: Multimedia Distribution Platforms Project: For summer 2025, one student will participate in a study to evaluate new patient services and patient care team services being delivered through the Mayo Clinic TV platform in the hospital setting. Measures will include impact on patient satisfaction and patient outcomes, as well as the impact on nursing efficiency and satisfaction. The student will help develop survey instruments, interview patients and staff, analyze results, and participate in planning improvements to the user interface. The student will also interact with the Usability team, Nursing Administration and Video Engineering.

    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. Written by Inti Intisar.  Students must have completed the prerequisite STAT 272 Statistical Modeling.

    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.