Mariana Serrano ’18 of Waterbury, CT, received a $7,500 scholarship at the Biomedical Science Careers Program (BSCP) “Evening of Hope” reception at Harvard University on April 27.  The scholarship, funded by Radius Health, a biopharmaceutical company in Waltham, MA, will support Serrano’s education at Eastern Connecticut State University, where she is a health science major and biology minor.

Serrano’s relationship with the BSCP began in summer 2016 with a summer internship at Harvard Medical School’s Summer Clinical and Translational Research Program, a 10-week mentored research program designed to increase the number of students from underrepresented populations who are exposed to clinical research.  Serrano was one of only 10 students selected.

“I have been so fortunate to have this opportunity to be introduced to the bio-medical profession at Harvard Medical School,” said Serrano.  “The experiences I have had range from observing surgeries to hands-on training in biomedical research, from learning to give presentations to networking within a large intellectual community.”

With a concentration in pre-physical therapy, Serrano is interested in the intersectionality of medicine and anthropology and is conducting research with Mary Kenny, professor of anthropology at Eastern. She has also been researching therapeutic regimens related to aortic valve disease at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Roxbury, MA.

Serrano began her college career at Eastern in the Summer Transition at Eastern Program/ Contract Admissions Program (STEP/CAP), a six-week residential program the summer after high school graduation that provides intensive instruction in mathematics, writing and study skills.  Successful STEP/CAP students are then admitted to Eastern each fall. Serrano will serve as a peer assistant in STEP/CAP in summer 2017.