July 29, 2025

Students will experience hands-on, meaningful research experience at Regenstrief Institute 2025 summer scholars program

Sixteen students are participating in the 2025 Regenstrief Institute Summer Scholars Program, working closely with research faculty on a range of health-focused projects. The program offers medical and undergraduate students hands-on experience in the fields of aging, biomedical informatics and health services research.

Students join the program through several pathways, including the Indiana University School of Medicine’s Medical Student Program for Research and Scholarship (IMPRS), university practicum programs and individual academic partnerships. Participating institutions in 2025 include: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University Indianapolis, Indiana University Bloomington, Purdue University, Marian University, New York University and Asbury University.

Throughout the summer, students contribute to meaningful research activities, designing study protocols, managing and analyzing data, recruiting participants and developing scientific abstracts. Many students share their progress during Regenstrief’s “Work in Progress” sessions, and several will continue supporting publications beyond the program.

The following is a list of participating students and their mentors:

IU Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief

Indiana University – Indianapolis

  • Elena Buck – Mentor: Monica Williams-Farrelly, PhD
  • Fereshteh Shojaei – Mentor: Malaz Boustani, M.D., MPH
  • Marcus Rose – Mentor: Kathleen Unroe, M.D., MHA, M.S.

Marian University

  • Lucas Heady – Mentor: Kathleen Unroe, M.D., MHA, M.S.
  • Clayton Coll – Mentor: Kathleen Unroe, M.D., MHA, M.S.
  • Jake Holt – Mentor: Kathleen Unroe, M.D., MHA, M.S.

Regenstrief Center for Health Services Research

Purdue University

  • Neelay Ranjan – Mentor: Andrew Gonzalez, M.D., J.D., MPH

Indiana University School of Medicine (IMPRS Scholar)

  • Jasmina Davis – Mentors: Shelley Johns, PsyD, and Eric Vachon, PhD, R.N.

Regenstrief Center for Biomedical Informatics

Indiana University Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering

  • Venkat Ramana Sangam – Mentors: Joseph Amlung, MPH, and Saptarshi Purkayastha, PhD
  • Sreshta Nomula – Mentor: Rebecca Rivera, PhD, MPH

Asbury University

  • Andrew Gibbons – Mentor: Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S.

New York University

  • Nate Maxey – Mentor: Shaun Grannis, M.D., M.S.

Indiana University, College of Arts and Sciences

  • Jocelyn Yang – Mentor: Rebecca Rivera, PhD, MPH

Indiana University – Indianapolis

  • Aleene Hernandez – Mentor: Rebecca Rivera, PhD, MPH
  • Nakshatra Bobbili – Mentor: Rebecca Rivera, PhD, MPH
  • Rachael Martins-Thomas – Mentor: Rebecca Rivera, PhD, MPH