Photo By John Marciano | SAN DIEGO (July 21, 2025) Alejandra Abramson was an intern for Naval Health Research...... read more read more
Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) is a partner with the Naval Research Enterprise Internship Program (NREIP). The naval internship program places college and university students pursuing Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) careers in U.S. Navy laboratories across the country, providing students mentorship and real-world research experience.
Eligible students are selected based on academic achievement, personal statements, and their research interests. Upon selection, students are placed at one of 52 Navy labs for a 10-week internship work experience that includes a monetary stipend.
This summer, NHRC is home to six interns working alongside biomedical engineers, microbiologists, neuroscientists, physiologists, and medical surgeons. The NHRC research staff mentoring the interns made sure they got access and real hands-on experiences.
Jenica Earl, a graduate student from the University of South Carolina studying kinesiology, was paired with Rebecca McClintock, a research physiologist in the Warfighter Performance Department’s Thermal Team, where she was able to go onboard a Navy ship to assist the team with real world data collection.
Jenica’s primary project involved collecting, analyzing, and presenting data on a continuous chest compression device tested during medical drills aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72). She analyzed performance metrics such as compression rate and depth and produced visual summaries of the results. “Her work is helping inform future research proposals and may contribute to broader Navy efforts to enhance shipboard emergency medical care and cardiac arrest outcomes,” remarked McClintock. Jenica also participated in bi-weekly journal club presentations to enhance her scientific knowledge and presentation skills.
Shreya Singh, an undergraduate in cognitive science at the University of California, Los Angeles also worked in NHRC’s Warfighter Laboratory with Senior Neuroscientist, Dr. Wiemen Zheng, where she worked on a project exploring AI and machine learning models to decode visual images from EEG signal datasets collected at NHRC.
As a combined research and clinical NREIP intern working at NHRC this summer, is Andrew (Drew) Nelles, a biology undergraduate from Vanderbilt University. Drew is paired with NHRC’s deputy director of the Military Population Health directorate, and surgical oncologist, Cmdr. Diego Vicente.
Drew observed the care of oncology patients across the multidisciplinary spectrum within the new Cancer Program at Naval Medical Center San Diego’s Cancer Oncology Center of Excellence, and worked alongside Cmdr. Vicente, both in clinic and the operating room. He was able to see how patients with tumors were diagnosed, evaluated with imaging and biopsies, and managed with integrated multidisciplinary care incorporating genetics, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgical oncology.
As a combined research and clinical intern, Drew Nelles, had the opportunity to learn how clinical experience informs translational research as well as how this research impacts the care of patients. “Drew learned how oncology patients were carefully considered for operative management, and then witness surgery in the operating room. I can’t imagine a better immersive experience into helping him make a career decision working at the highest level of medical care the Navy has to offer,” commented Vicente.
Alannah Harnden, a San Diego State University master’s in biology student, and Alejandra Abramson an undergraduate at the University of Michigan in microbiology both worked in NHRC’s Operational Infectious Diseases laboratory, executing experiments that analyzed human urine and experiments that led to the protein expression and purification of new target proteins that were analyzed on the Quantum-Si Platinum instrument.
“We feel very fortunate to have selected such a talented and productive group of interns. Data they generated was presented to one of our top funded projects,” said Dr. Gabriel Pineda, NHRC principal scientist, Operational Infectious Disease directorate.
Ryan Ngo, a master’s graduate in computer science from California State University, Long Beach, did his internship virtually, working with biomedical engineers in NHRC’s Warfighter Performance Department. Among performing mathematical analytics functions, Ryan helped develop data management strategies and performed various machine learning and AI approaches to determine what factors associated with a person’s daily activity and sleep data best predict a person’s readiness.
“Consistent with the Navy Surgeon General's priorities of Recruit and Retain Navy Medicine Shipmates, our research staff have done an outstanding job mentoring this group of interns, and in a short time, have shaped enthusiastic, innovative future force research warriors that will help modernize Naval power. We look forward to our continued partnership with the NREIP program,” said Cmdr. Ken Fan, executive officer, NHRC.
NHRC, part of Navy Medicine Research & Development, supports Navy, Marine Corps and joint U.S. warfighter readiness and lethality with research and development that delivers high-value, high-impact solutions to the health challenges U.S. military population faces on the battlefield, at-sea, home and abroad.
For more information, visit the Office of Naval Research NREIP site: https://www.nre.navy.mil/education-outreach/undergraduate-graduate/nreip-naval-internship
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.28.2025 13:14 |
| Story ID: | 546786 |
| Location: | SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 62 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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