The Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI) is committed to train scientists, clinicians and students who will perpetuate and extended the fight against disease. Our education programs includes a
- Summer Fellowship Program.
- Predoctoral Research Training.
- Postdoctoral Research Training.
- Mentoring Program.
The Summer Fellowship Program, initiated in 1960, continues to provide undergraduate students of the life sciences as well as genetics and stem cell research with extraordinary opportunities to work with Laboratory staff and participate in meaningful research projects.
Numerous participants have gone on to become physicians, surgeons, professors, researchers and administrators throughout the nation and around the world.
Dr. John DeTraglia
Mohawk Valley Health System
Medical Group/Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery (Retired)
1965 -1966 Summer Fellow
“Early in the Fellowship experience, I worked for and with Dr. Jaok Han and Dr. Gordon K. Moe, and was very excited to pursue a career in cardiology. When we had planned our project, we were taught to prepare the specimens and got help from a local surgeon Dr. Brad Millet, whose son was in our group… From that time on, there was no question I would be a surgeon. We did complete our project and published a paper in the American Heart Journal…”
Dr. Christopher Max
Vascular Surgeon
1976 Summer Fellow
“I remember my experience at the MMRI fondly. The research we did in the late 70’s has led to many procedures and interventions (cardiac) that we take for granted today. I thought it was quite exciting in medical school that one of the prominent authors (contributors) to a pharmacology text, Goodman and Gilman, was Dr. Gordon Moe, who was always had time for me as well as others. My experience with MMRI left a lasting impression on my career and my practice in the field of general and vascular surgery.”
Shea Nagel
2015 Summer Fellow
“I feel extraordinarily lucky to have worked at an institution that values giving students hands-on experience in conducting research. I benefited greatly from my mentor’s enthusiastic support. Dr. Jonathan Cordeiro went out of his way to make me feel like a welcome member of his team. He encouraged me to ask questions, a skill I think we lose touch with in the class room where we are supposed to be able to answer all of the questions on a test. The application of science to solve real problems requires us to fearlessly and constantly ask questions and troubleshoot. The innovation and collaboration I witnessed while working with Dr. Cordeiro has been absolutely inspiring. I know I will carry the many valuable life lesson I learned during my time at MMRI with me throughout medical school and life.”
Hannah King
2015 and 2016 Summer Fellow
“Over the past ten weeks, I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Brian Panama and vastly expanding my knowledge in the fields of cardiology and electrophysiology. My research project was centered on obstructive sleep apnea and the resulting structural remodeling of the heart, ultimately impacting function and cardiac diseases. Aiding Dr. Panama in his research, I practiced both protein quantification techniques and data analysis of qrt-PCR in order to trace changes in expression levels and work towards determining how these changes result as a consequence of obstructive sleep apnea and may play a role in arrhythmic development. Many of the skills that I have learned will be extremely useful in my research as both a student and in my future career.
The Masonic Medical Research Institute has had such an expansive impact on cardiac research in the discovery and treatment of many cardiac diseases. I am truly honored to have had the opportunity to work with such a renowned group of scientists at one of the world’s premier cardiac research institutes and aid in their research projects. Even if it was just ten short weeks, I feel as though I have gained a lifetime’s worth of invaluable knowledge and experience.”