Augustana juniors selected for Texas Medical Center internship

A group of 11 Augustana College juniors have been selected for the prestigious Texas Medical Center Summer Research Internship Program.

The following students will take part in the paid, full-time, 10-week experience at the Texas Medical Center in Houston this summer.

- Leslie Bandera, a biochemistry major from Oregon, Ill.

- Amen Bekele, psychology, political science and economics triple major from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

- Hiuling Chan, a biology and psychology double major from Managua, Nicaragua

- Madeleine Feltner, a public health major from Newbury Park, Calif.

- Brook Fieldman, a communication sciences and disorders major from Plainfield, Ill.

- Emmeline Kenealy, a psychology and communication studies double major from Montgomery, Ill.

- Addison Larson, a biochemistry, public health and chemistry triple major from Kimberly, Idaho

- Rachel Nandelenga, a pre-medicine and neuroscience double major from Cary, Ill.

- Amanda Quinn, a sociology/anthropology and philosophy double major from Exton, Pa.

- Adam Torry, a pre-medicine major from Comox, B.C., Canada

- Nick Weilbaker, a biochemistry major from Lindenhurst, Ill.

The Texas Medical Center serves 10 million patients per year and performs more than 180,000 surgeries annually. It is home to the world's largest children's hospital and largest cancer hospital, and it is the 8th largest business district in the United States.

Internships are available to Augustana students in all majors. Those selected for the opportunity can establish one-on-one mentoring relationships in a variety of areas, including clinical or research medicine, any area of allied health, psychology, neuroscience or veterinary research. Additional areas of focus include human resources, health care economics, medical illustration, pastoral care, law, finance, health care policy and clinical ethics.

Previous Augustana students have been placed at the University of Texas MD Anderson  Cancer Center, one of the world's leading treatment and research centers; Texas Children's Hospital, an international leader in pediatric medicine; as well as Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, and the University of Texas Health Science Center's prestigious Center for Laboratory Animal Medicine and Care.

Interns are selected for their curiosity, critical thinking, problem-solving and authentic self-reflection. These traits are fine-tuned in a series of spring, summer and fall seminars on campus, with an emphasis on community building, vocational reflection and ethics.