This summer, rising senior Claire Skowron is participating in a summer program at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where she is exploring statistical approaches to studying population health trends while connecting data-driven research with patient care and disease complexity.
Skowron, a chemistry and statistics major, is one of 18 Illinois undergraduates who are participating in 10-week summer programs that provide students with opportunities to work with researchers and clinical teams at Mayo Clinic in Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota. Alongside Mayo Clinic mentors, they are working in laboratories, clinical research settings, and healthcare environments, building professional relationships while experiencing collaboration, mentorship, and the day-to-day pace of a major medical center.
Skowron is interested in epidemiology, toxicology, and health technology. At Illinois, she works in the Disability Participation and Quality of Life Research Laboratory on the Fall Management in Wheelchair Users team, which is developing WheelSafe, an app intended for full-time wheelchair users to track fall data, prevent future falls, and share health information more easily. Claire previously worked with Steve Petruzzello as a research assistant in the Exercise Psychophysiology Lab, where she completed an independent research project examining the relationship between heart rate variability and other social and emotional factors in chronic pain populations. She also serves as director of education for MEDLIFE UIUC, coordinating volunteer events focused on education and community outreach. At Mayo Clinic, Claire will explore statistical approaches to studying population health trends while gaining experience connecting data-driven research with patient care and the biological complexities of disease. She plans to pursue an MS in epidemiology and an MD as she prepares for a career as a physician.