{"id":12158,"date":"2012-04-13T15:45:45","date_gmt":"2012-04-13T19:45:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=12158"},"modified":"2015-03-06T09:30:44","modified_gmt":"2015-03-06T14:30:44","slug":"mothers-affliction-motivated-woman-to-participate-in-wright-states-grad-prep-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2012\/04\/13\/mothers-affliction-motivated-woman-to-participate-in-wright-states-grad-prep-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Mother\u2019s affliction motivated student to participate in Wright State\u2019s GRAD-PREP program"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s note: This is the last <\/em>of four stories in the \u201cOpening Doors\u201d series<\/em> about Wright State programs that provide laboratory research and training opportunities in the biomedical sciences for students of underrepresented minorities. The programs are directed by the Boonshoft School of Medicine\u2019s Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Her quest to learn more about epilepsy drove Christina Estrada\u2019s interest in neuropsychology, a field that attempts to connect the dots between biology and behavior.<\/p><\/div>\n

When doctors could not find a way to stop her mother\u2019s epileptic seizures, Christina Estrada decided she would.<\/p>\n

Her short-term goal was to find better doctors to stop the seizures that struck her mother without warning. But her long-term goal is to improve care for people with epilepsy and other neurological disorders by becoming a neuropsychologist and making a career that combines research and treatment.<\/p>\n

Estrada holds a bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology from her hometown Portland State University in Oregon and is now enrolled in Wright State\u2019s GRAD-PREP Biomedical Graduate Preparation Program, a National Institutes of Health\u2013funded program that provides research and academic training in the biomedical and behavioral sciences. She hopes the program will give her the laboratory training and research experience she needs for a successful application to a top-quality graduate program.<\/p>\n

Her road to GRAD-PREP really started in high school, when she found herself playing an important role in her mother\u2019s care. Estrada worked full time to help support her family and took her first two years of higher education at a community college so she could stay close to home.<\/p>\n

At the same time, she sought more effective medical care for her mother. \u201cHer neurologist just wasn\u2019t doing enough to help her, so I started taking things into my own hands,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Her quest to learn more about epilepsy drove Estrada\u2019s interest in neuropsychology, a field that attempts to connect the dots between biology and behavior. Her research paid off when she found a research neurologist who took an interest in her mother\u2019s case. She also learned ways to manage factors that could worsen her mother\u2019s condition\u2014by reducing stress, for example. Today, she said, \u201cMy mom\u2019s story is a success story because she no longer has seizures.\u201d<\/p>\n

Estrada managed to earn a baccalaureate degree. But getting accepted into a Ph.D. program, especially in her chosen specialty, was problematic. The application process is highly competitive, and successful candidates often have lab training and experience.<\/p>\n

She searched the Internet for ideas. Visiting the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website one day, she \u201cfollowed a trail of links\u201d to a page about the GRAD-PREP program at Wright State\u2019s Boonshoft School of Medicine in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology. It is directed by Mariana Morris, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Research; chair, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology; and assistant vice president for graduate programs.<\/p>\n

Estrada learned that participants in the yearlong program earn an annual salary of $21,000 with health benefits, tuition remission, travel expenses for local and regional meetings and guidance through the Ph.D. program selection and application process. It would also enable her to work closely with faculty mentors.<\/p>\n

Estrada met the minority requirement because of her Hispanic heritage. She applied for the program and was accepted. In July 2011, she packed her car and drove 2,300 miles to Dayton.<\/p>\n

In GRAD-PREP, Estrada works in the lab as a university staff member. \u201cI manage a genetically altered mouse colony. The particular model that I\u2019m working with has a genetic mutation associated with Parkinson\u2019s disease,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She also has a research project, which involves observing how maternal care affects mouse pups with Parkinson\u2019s\u2014what effects are from the disease itself, and what might be the result of different treatment by their mothers.<\/p>\n

Mary Key, assistant director of the GRAD-PREP program, said participants receive a well-rounded experience in laboratory work and research. A valuable part of that experience is the opportunity to work closely with a faculty mentor.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe mentor will be able to give them very good letters of recommendation to not only get into a graduate program, but get funding and assistantships in order to be able to support themselves while they’re in school,\u201d Key said.<\/p>\n

Estrada said the program is moving her toward her educational goals. \u201cI think it\u2019s an excellent program for someone in my position, who\u2019s looking to become a more competitive applicant, but who needs a good amount of research experience,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She hopes to see her research results published, and she is planning to make a presentation about it at an international psychology conference in Chicago in May. But she said her goals aren\u2019t just about publications and career milestones.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mom\u2019s success story led me to search for a career where I could help others that were battling with neurological disorders that are not well understood. It\u2019s personal, I guess,\u201d she said, and then reflected, \u201cWhat isn\u2019t personal?\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2012 GRAD-PREP program will begin June 11, 2012. Applications will be accepted until all positions are filled.<\/p>\n

More information:<\/p>\n

(937) 775-2746<\/p>\n

Email: bsom-gradprep@wright.edu<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Visit www.med.wright.edu\/grad-prep<\/strong> to learn more.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When doctors could not find a way to stop her mother\u2019s epileptic seizures, Christina Estrada decided she would. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":12159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,2016,715,2132,18,746,719],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-medicine","category-news","category-pharmacology-and-toxicology","category-research","category-science-mathematics","category-special-categories","series-opening-doors"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12158"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12158\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35721,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12158\/revisions\/35721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}