Discovery Spotlight: Dr. Pete Lollar

The ACTSI Research Education, Training & Career Development program played a key role in the successful implementation of the Discovery Phase component of the Emory University medical school curriculum. Discovery is a required 5-month block which occurs at the end of the third year and provides medical students the opportunity to conduct a hypothesis-driven research project under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Approximately 80% of students choose a clinical and translational research project and many ACTSI investigators serve as mentors. Discovery culminates by students presenting a poster or oral presentation each year at Medical Student Research Day in April. The Discovery Phase began in 2010 and Discovery projects have led to over 30 peer review publications by 29 Discovery students including one first author publication that was the cover article in Blood.

Ryan Summers, an Emory medical student, conducted a Discovery translational research project with ACTSI investigator Pete Lollar, MD, on hemophilia. This study resulted in a first author publication and cover art in Blood, entitled "Factor VIII A3 domain substitution N1922S results in hemophilia A due to domain-specific misfolding and hyposecretion of functional protein."