Undergraduate Research

Caroline is working on a narrative review on the extent to which humanities have been incorporated into U.S. medical education and examining the potential utility of adopting humanitarian approaches in U.S. medical school education, cultural competency, and palliative care. Thus far, Caroline found that medical humanities has many benefits including enhanced ability of examining multiple perspectives and improvements in clinical reasoning skills while having no significant effect on students’ grades. Because of this, increased incorporation of medical humanities is proposed as a potential solution for increased burnout rates among physicians and medical distrust.

Caroline would advise aspiring undergraduate researchers to take initiative by applying and emailing professors because, “as the saying goes, you lose 100% of the chances you do not take. Many undergraduate students I have spoken to in the past are extremely intimidated by research. But, you do not have to cure cancer … or be the smartest person in the room to contribute valuable information to the scientific community. You just have to solve a problem and have a strong desire to explore potential solutions. You can also always reach out to UCF faculty to help you brainstorm or ask to join a pre-existing research lab in a field you are passionate about. In my personal experience, I have found that the faculty is extremely supportive in helping you pursue your research endeavors and always remember: it never hurts to ask.”