Sally Berbery ’27, a biochemistry and psychology major, headed to Dartmouth this summer after being selected for the coveted Geisel School of Medicine MD-PhD Undergraduate Fellowship. She was one of four students chosen from hundreds of applicants.
Calling the program an MD-PhD boot camp, Sally says, “I really think I would like to simultaneously pursue a PhD and an MD. This opportunity was a great way to preview my future and get exposed to research beyond what I have experienced at Berry.”
For two months, she conducted research alongside PhD candidate Matthew Company in the Doucette Lab of Integrative Neuroscience. Sally learned about specific brain regions and their roles, overall brain structure, behavior and neural analysis, and other concepts like building electrodes. When not in the lab, she was shadowing specialties in pediatrics, dermatology and oncology at Dartmouth’s Hitchcock Medical Center. Sally also explored the beautiful state of New Hampshire.
She points out that early exposure to research at Berry made all the difference in her acceptance to the fellowship program. She also appreciates how faculty listen carefully and guide students to research areas based on their interests. For example, Sally ended up in the instrumentation lab at Berry because her professor asked questions like, “Do you want to learn a few things early? Do you like building things?”
She says, “I’m so grateful for professors who think about their students and encourage them to apply for a variety of opportunities.”
This semester, Sally feels more well-rounded and confident to pursue a profession that has captivated her since childhood. Her mother is a family medicine physician, and Sally grew up respecting her bond with patients.
Her parents never pressured her to pursue medicine. But as Sally’s love for science and people grew, so did her desire to follow in her mother’s footsteps. This summer was her first real opportunity to try on the MD-PhD experience.
“I am very grateful to have gotten so many perspectives in the field of physician-scientists,” she says. “These perspectives and relationships will certainly influence my professional career moving forward.”
