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Marija K

- Research Program Mentor

MD candidate at Stanford University

Expertise

Neuroscience, Biosciences, Psychiatry, Medicine

Bio

My name is Marija (pronounced just like Maria), and I am a medical school student at Stanford. I am currently on a research year in a translational neuroscience lab, investigating the brain pathways that underlie some of our most basic behaviors, including aggression and reward-seeking. I am broadly interested in neuropsychiatry - the intersection of brain and behavior - and plan to enter a psychiatry residency program after medical school. I graduated from Yale College in 2015 with a major in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology. Following graduation, I conducted neuroscience research on Alzheimer's disease at Yale Medical School for two years, publishing 3 peer-reviewed articles. Along with laboratory work, I also have experience with clinical trials, survey-based research, analyzing large datasets, and writing reviews. Beyond science, I also enjoy creative writing and exploring the intersection of medicine and art.

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.

1. Health & Behavior Research Project:

Is there a question you have about human behavior, neuroscience or health? We'll work together to come up with a hypothesis and plan of action for how to test it. You'll gain experience with the scientific process, as well as in analysis and communication. This project will culminate in either a video presentation, written paper, website or podcast - where you have the chance to communicate your results with the world!

2. Review Paper:

If you have a burning curiosity about a specific research topic (ie. Alzheimer's disease), we'll work together to write a literature review. The ability to synthesize different information on a topic is an important part of being a scientist, and I'll help you gain the basic skills of pulling together information, strategies for reading papers, and drawing your own conclusions.

3. Creative Medicine:

Do you enjoy science, but also have an interest in writing poetry, or creating art? We'll focus on a topic you're most curious about - for instance, anatomy and function of the brain. As we go through the sessions, we'll channel what we learn into a creative project that bridges the worlds of art and science.

Coding skills

R, Matlab, Python

Languages I know

Macedonian

Credentials

Work experience

Stanford Medical School (2018 - 2019)
Teaching Assistant for "Clinical Skills"
Stanford Clinical Summer Internship (2018 - 2018)
Teacher and Mentor for High School Program

Education

Yale University
BS Bachelor of Science (2015)
Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Stanford University
MD Doctor of Medicine candidate
Neuropsychiatry

Reviews

"I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Marija. She has made this an experience that I will never forget. From the first session Marija listened to all of my interests and formed a project that was both so much fun and interesting. My work between sessions will help me in the future as it taught me how to read and write scientific papers, as well as present this information. She has taken complex topics and taught it to me so I would perfectly understand them. I loved working with Marija and it has grown my love for science and medicine."

Alexandra

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