CIRP REU ALUMNI STORIES
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Casey Holman - Summer 2025
CHOP Mentor(s): Thomas Seacrist, MBE
"I had the pleasure of working with Thomas Seacrist and many others at CHOP who are dedicated to improving safety for children inch by inch and bit by bit. I was struck by how collaborative and interdisciplinary the environment was, with experts from every field and from all over the world contributing to the work. If you want to see the wide, deep, and unexpected pools of knowledge that research…
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Faye Joseph - Summer 2025
CHOP Mentor(s): Akiva S. Cohen, PhD
"My name is Faye Joseph, and I have had the privilege of participating in the Injury Science REU internship program at CHOP. I was honestly a little nervous coming in, as I had never done something like this before. Once I got here, I realized immediately that this was not a place of intimidation and stress, but instead a space where growth is facilitated and kindness is the standard.Throughout my…
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Giliane Yza Muyna - Summer 2025
CHOP Mentor(s): James Wilkes, PhD, MEd, ATC
"During my REU internship this summer at CIRP, I had the opportunity to work with James Wilkes, PhD, MEd, ATC, and Melissa Godfrey, MPH, on the Minds Matter Concussion team. My main project examined whether artificial light at night and noise exposure—two environmental factors known to interfere with sleep—also contribute to prolonged recovery from concussions. Through literature reviews, I learne…
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Kasey Stammen - Summer 2025
CHOP Mentor(s): Valentina Graci, PhD
"The CIRP REU program provided me with an all-encompassing experience in clinical injury prevention research. This opportunity helped me grow my research skills and narrow down my future career goals. From speaking with emergency department physicians to running data collection in an orthopedic clinic, my time during the summer was spent across all aspects of pediatric injury prevention research.…
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Kennedy Bynoe - Summer 2025
CHOP Mentor(s): Elizabeth Walshe, PhD
"The Injury Science REU program at CIRP exceeded every expectation I had. As a member of Dr. Elizabeth Walshe’s Neuroscience of Driving Research team, I contributed to the DRIVER study, a longitudinal project examining the impact of driver education on teen crash risk. My work included supporting participant recruitment through outreach calls, building and managing surveys in REDCap, and pulling r…
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Naja Quarles - Summer 2025
CHOP Mentor(s): Elizabeth Silvestro, PhD
"I truly enjoyed my time with the CIRP Injury Science REU Internship program. This was my first experience exploring research, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity. Under the guidance of my PI, Elizabeth Silvestro, PhD, and my peer mentor, Iman Naqvi, I worked in the CHAMP Lab in the Radiology Department on a larger project aimed at creating knee training models for educational feedback t…
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Se'maj Griffin - Summer 2025
CHOP Mentor(s): Katelin Hoskins, PhD, MBE, CRNP
"I had the amazing opportunity to take part in the CIRP Injury Science REU Internship program. I was an active member of the UPLIFT Study under the mentorship of Katelin Hoskins, PhD, MBE, CRNP. As my first undergraduate research experience, the experience opened my eyes to the possibilities of qualitative research and implementation science in the clinical setting, transforming research into acti…
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Sophia Marchetta - Summer 2025
CHOP Mentor(s): Jalaj Maheshwari, MSE
"I had a very positive experience at the REU because I worked on an interesting project with a supportive team and a fun cohort. I didn’t expect the number and quality of seminars (shoutout for bringing in the food), but it was a pleasant surprise that added a lot of value to my summer. It was more than just a job, I learned so much about everything that’s out there, as well as the world of…
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Eva Hunter - Summer 2024
CHOP Mentor(s): Elizabeth Walshe, PhD
Research Experiences for Undergraduates Student (Summer 2024)"The Injury Science REU program at CIRP strengthened my presence as a researcher, academic, and professional. My work with Dr. Elizabeth Walshe’s Neuroscience of Driving Research team exposed me to the inner workings of a large scale longitudinal study. This summer, I contributed to the development of the DRIVER study, which aims to inve…
CHOP REU Training Testimonial - Anjali Vijan - Summer 2024
CHOP Mentor(s): Elizabeth Walshe, PhD
Research Experiences for Undergraduates Student (Summer 2024)"Throughout my time with the Neuroscience of Driving Research team, I gained a lot of experience contributing to a longitudinal randomized control study focused on teen driver safety, specifically in the data collection process. I gained hands-on experience in preparing for data collection by training and executing procedures such as usi…