Zachary Brewer
Student lands cardiac surgery scholarship
First-year Vanderbilt University School of Medicine student Zachary Brewer has been selected by the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) to receive the 2008 summer intern scholarship in cardiothoracic surgery.
Brewer will complete his eight-week internship this summer under the mentorship of John Byrne, M.D., chair of the Department of Cardiac Surgery, and Marzia Leacche, M.D, director of Cardiac Surgery Research. Brewer will receive a grant of $5,000 for his living expenses during the training period.
The scholarship complements Brewer's summer Emphasis Project, which focuses on patient outcomes research in the Cardiac Surgery department.
“I have a strong interest in surgery, particularly in cardiothoracic surgery, partially because many members of my family have been afflicted with heart disease,” Brewer said.
“By shadowing hospital staff and observing a variety of procedures, I hope to gain exposure to the field as well as clinical research experience from my Emphasis Project.”
The summer intern scholarship program was established to introduce the field of cardiothoracic surgery to first- and second-year medical students and to broaden their educational experience by providing an opportunity to spend the summer working in a cardiothoracic surgery department.