CIRP REU Training Testimonial -- Madeline Gonzalez
CHOP Mentor(s):
Catherine McDonald, PhD, RN, FAAN
My favorite part about working at CIRP was the interdisciplinary faculty; I was able to meet and network with experts in many different fields who gave me insight into how to navigate a career in research.
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Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Student (Summer 2019)

“During my time at CIRP, I worked with Dr. Catherine McDonald and the rest of the concussion team on a project investigating post-injury driving behaviors in adolescents after getting a concussion. My main responsibilities included data cleaning and analysis using SPSS. I had a little experience using SPSS before, but this summer I learned how to analyze larger sets of data and how to write SPSS syntax.

I also worked on several other tasks for the concussion research team including performing data extractions in Epic, coding eye tracking videos, and reviewing literature. One morning I was given the opportunity to shadow Dr. Christina L. Master in the CHOP Orthopedic Care Center to better understand how concussions are treated and how our studies are run with actual patients. Towards the end of my experience I even had the opportunity to help draft an abstract about my findings from this summer to be submitted to an upcoming poster conference.

My favorite part about working at CIRP was the interdisciplinary faculty; I was able to meet and network with experts in many different fields who gave me insight into how to navigate a career in research. CIRP also has such a positive office environment, with every member of the staff providing all of the REU students with help and advice.  My experiences at CHOP showed me how much Philadelphia has to offer and have given me more confidence about applying to graduate school and taking my next steps after graduation!

I am entering my senior year at Florida Southern College, where I am a Psychology major. I’m planning to apply for a Research Assistant position after graduating in December 2019, and I hope to eventually enter an MPH program. My summer experience at CIRP helped me to solidify my interest in the public health field and taught me the ins and outs of working in clinical research. It also showed me how much Philadelphia has to offer and has given me more confidence to take my next steps after graduation.”