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Austin J

- Research Program Mentor

MD candidate at Stanford University

Expertise

Telemedicine, social media in medicine, rare skin diseases, dermatology, nutrition, Pre-Health studies

Bio

Hi there! My name is Austin and I am a fifth-year medical student at Stanford. As an aspiring academic dermatologist, I have had the opportunity to explore and contribute to different fields of research across several specialties, including projects on telemedicine in cardiology, mobile health in dermatology, and social media in ophthalmology. Being the lead author on these various endeavors provided valuable experience in creating, conducting, analyzing, and presenting clinical research in unique settings. Looking back, I realize that while publications are valuable, the tight-knit relationships I forged with my mentors while pursuing these projects have quite literally shaped the course of my career in a priceless way. Outside of studying and research, I love to weight-lift, play sports of any kind (even the ones I am bad at), explore new recipes and learn about nutrition in the context of fitness, consume anything even remotely related to sci-fi, and, above all, always find time to be with my PA-student fiancé Paige. Being from a small town in Colorado with a high school class of 52, I am not the typical expert-skier or snowboarder that my state is known for, but I did have the opportunity to play 4 sports (basketball, football, baseball, and track) before heading off to college. My new hobby is learning how to play pickle-ball against former tennis players, which I admit has been a formidable challenge.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

You Are What You Eat: A Podcast on the Intersection Of Diet and Skin Health

Many have heard the phrase "you are what you eat" at some point in their lives. However, much fewer know what that means, let alone how to approach implementing meals that promote skin health and dampen signs and symptoms of disease. This podcast applies the science of nutrition and dermatology to popular diets and food myths to provide a more digestible means of eating for better skin.

Under the Dermatoscope: A Fact Check of Common Skin Care and Sun Protection Advice

This blog (or podcast) series explores commonly held beliefs regarding proper skin care and sun protection, applying a Mythbusters-like approach to discern facts from fiction in the world of dermatology. Using the power of evidence-based medicine, Under the Dermatoscope provides an up-to-date resource exposing dermatologic myths and verifying helpful truths about skin health.

Teaching experience

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to mentor new student additions to our undergraduate HIV basic science laboratory in undergrad, having the responsibility of orienting them to the lab team and supervising their projects and progress. More recently in medical school, I have been a near-peer mentor for younger medical students and a TA for several core classes and seminars, including Histology and Specialty Career Selection.

Credentials

Education

University of Denver
BS Bachelor of Science (2019)
Biology
Stanford University
MD Doctor of Medicine candidate
Medicine

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