Jake Doiron, a senior headed to medical school, found his passion doing research with chemistry professors at Berry.
Jake Doiron originally chose Berry for his desire to play soccer in college, but after two years as a collegiate athlete, his passion shifted into a love for research and pre-med courses.
As a biochemistry major, Jake conducts research under the mentorship of Assistant Professor of Chemistry Mark Turlington and Associate Professor of Physical Chemistry Kenneth Martin. His research project junior year sought out to design and develop drug molecules for the treatment of Cystic Fibrosis, a lethal genetic condition that afflicts the lungs.
His work with Cystic Fibrosis led him to take on a 10-week intensive internship this past summer at the Gregory Fleming Cystic Fibrosis Research Center at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.
While at the research center, Jake was mentored by renowned physician and scientist Steven Rowe, who is a leader and pioneer in the field of Cystic Fibrosis research. This internship affirmed the physician-scientist pathway as his career goal as he “got to have the experience of working in a larger research lab and also learning advanced lab techniques,” Jake says.
When asked about a mentor in his life, Jake says, “Dr. Turlington has been one of the most influential people in terms of his impact on my life. He has been my research mentor, professor, medical school advisor and friend for almost two years and hopefully many more. He is a professor that genuinely cares about students as a whole, not just in the classroom, as well as pushing students to their limit so that they can achieve their goals. I hope that everyone can have a Dr. Turlington in their life.”
As of now, Jake has been accepted into several medical schools but has not made a choice. He has his Berry community to thank for helping support him during his undergraduate years and prepare him for this life-long passion for medicine “Berry is well-known for its amazing campus, but the people who fill the campus are equally, if not more amazing,” he says.
Update: Jake was accepted to an MD/Ph.D. program at LSU and will attend in the fall.
Alexi Bell (19C)
