2020-2021 MRSP Scholar

Verónica Santana-Ufret (2020-2021 MRSP Scholar), is a fourth-year medical student completing a yearlong research fellowship through the NIH’s Medical Research Scholars Program under the mentorship of Dr. Anna M. Nápoles, Scientific Director of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Though Mrs. Santana-Ufret originally hails from Puerto Rico, she was raised in Seattle, Washington, where she developed a passion for advocacy and service. A fascination with pathogens led her to a B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Washington, before aspirations to become a clinician-scientist took her to Wayne State University School of Medicine (WSUSOM) in Detroit, Michigan. At WSUSOM she has pursued her passion for advocacy through the American Medical Association and the Institutional Justice and Inclusion committee, a branch of student government she co-founded to address issues related to diversity and inclusion. Mrs. Santana-Ufret’s background includes four years of microbiology research and eight publications, and she is a senior editor for her school’s clinical decision science journal. Mrs. Santana-Ufret is pursuing a career in obstetrics and gynecology with the goal of reducing racial disparities in women’s health care. To that end, while at NIMHD Mrs. Santana-Ufret is investigating psychosomatic health outcomes in minority populations with a focus on the long-term effects of stress and trauma. In her free time, Mrs. Santana-Ufret can be found exploring natural wonders or testing out new recipes in the kitchen.