While working in a pediatric stem cell laboratory after completing her undergraduate degree, Emily Walck caught a glimpse of her future. It was there that she discovered her passion for research — and her desire to become a pediatrician.
But it wasn’t until she entered a Clinical and Translational Science Institute research training program as a medical student that she found the inspiration, motivation, and connections she needed to make that goal a reality.
The right path, the right fit
Working in that stem cell laboratory, Walck got to see first-hand how important clinical and translational research is.
“I really liked to see the way that clinicians and scientists together were collaborating,” said Walck. “I got to understand the grant writing process, trial and error for troubleshooting experiments, how to analyze data and, once we have an idea, how do we actually apply it to patients?”
From the beginning those connections between research and bringing results into the lives of patients, especially children, fascinated and motivated Walck.
The University of Minnesota drew Walck both for its emphasis on rural and Native American health, and its world-renowned transplant center.
“I knew there would be plenty of opportunities,” said Walck. And being a Navajo woman, the school aligned with both her upbringing and her background.
And so Walck came to the University of Minnesota Duluth in search of a way forward, to grow her skills, connect with mentors and build her career.
A-PReP connects the dots
Walck learned of CTSI’s Advanced Pathways to Research Program (A-PReP) her very first year of study.
“And it honestly sounded like a perfect fit for me,” said Walck. “It was a no-brainer that I wanted to apply.”
A-PReP is an intensive research training program lasting eight to twelve weeks that includes participation in mentored research projects paired with weekly seminars. Participants in the program work on their own original research, and present their findings at the CTSI Translational Science Symposium & Poster Session at the end.
The chance to get more research experience on a project that aligned with her interests and goals was just what she was looking for. More, however, was the additional opportunity to be part of a cohort of other students equally as dedicated to research, across a variety of fields.
For Walck, it was exactly the opportunity and environment she was looking for. A-PReP runs out of the University's Twin Cities campus, where Duluth campus students transfer after their second year of study. Walck was excited to get a taste of the other campus ahead of schedule, and begin making valuable connections.
“It was pushing me and supporting me in the direction I was already hoping to go,” she explains.
An invaluable experience
Walck’s A-PReP experience was, in her words, “invaluable.” That summer, she was mentored by Jakub Tolar MD, PhD, who provided essential guidance throughout her research journey.
Like many other students in the program, she also worked closely with more experienced research personnel within her mentor’s team. She collaborated daily with Kacey Bui — an MD/PhD student and a scholar in what’s now called the CTSI T32 Program — who offered hands-on support for troubleshooting experiments and broader career advice as she looked beyond her summer project.
This is just one example of how mentorship opened doors to valuable connections—she also had the opportunity to engage with clinicians, further expanding her perspective and experience.
“I was not expecting to be able to connect with pediatricians who are working on the clinical side of things at Masonic Children’s Hospital,” she said. Those introductions and in-person connections have proven to be continuously relevant to her professional growth.
Weekly guest speakers gave Walck and her A-PReP cohort the opportunity to meet with clinical researchers in a variety of fields. And the cohort itself quickly became a source of support and community.
With that cohort, Walck felt connected through their experience of participating in individual research projects. The symposium at the end of the program included not only student research presentations, but also expert presentations as well.
“We were excited to see each other presenting alongside people who were actually experts in their respective fields,” said Walck. “It really set the expectation for what is possible in the future.”
Walck and her cohort not only participated in A-PReP as students, but through the program got an early look at what it would be like to grow in their chosen fields by working with, and presenting to, the experts who would soon become their peers.
For Walck, participating in A-PReP proved to be a core foundational experience.
Accelerated connections
Through her participation in A-PReP, Walck met many clinical researchers who work in the pediatric bone marrow transplant field, Walck’s personal area of interest. These connections led to an opportunity to shadow a clinician, bringing to perspectives to the research she was conducting in the lab.
“I got to go to clinic for a half day and see some kiddos. It was the coolest experience to round out my basic science project.”
Those kiddos included two patients at various stages of treatment for epidermolysis bullosa, the focus of Walck’s A-PReP project and one aspect of the dissertation project of Bui, her mentor. Meeting patients who could be personally impacted by Walck’s own work drove home the why of what she was doing.
These connections have continued to intersect with Walck’s education and career, and has even led to new research collaborations.
“A-PReP accelerated my connections, and also helped me be able to put myself out there, not just drop an email and wait for someone to respond. I got to have half days in clinic, have work meetings, see them in person.”
Those early connections with mentors not only gave Walck a sense of direction, reinforcing her purpose, but built up her confidence as well.
Finding meaning and motivation
Walck’s A-PReP experience launched her into her second year of medical school at lightning speed.
“I was so invigorated, and got a fresh burst from all the research and intellectual stimulation. By the time I came back in the fall, I was so focused. I was ready to do what I needed to do in the classroom to get me to the clinical side of medical school.”
A-PReP offered Walck a chance to do something different, to get outside her small personal bubble.
“It was something different. And talking with other PhD, pharmacy, and undergraduate students, engaging over research topics, it pulled me out of the med student sphere, made me think about the way we are able to push the science and innovation forward. It let me focus on things for the future, and plan ahead.”
Shaping a career
That future Walck focused on and planned for has its foundations firmly in her time with A-PReP. Now in her pediatric residency, Walck credits the program with giving her the focus and direction she needed.
“Coming into medical school I had an idea that I wanted to do pediatrics, specifically hematology-oncology and bone marrow transplant. Going through the program further solidified that. And with the connections I made, I was able to reconnect as soon as I hit the clinical setting in my third and fourth years.”
Through A-PReP, Walck fully realized not only what she wanted to do for the rest of her career, but also found the connections to help her take the steps to get there.
“So much of what I was able to start in the A-PReP program is directly going to impact me and how I envision my career as a pediatrician.”
Walck is still meeting with mentors she found during that summer on a regular basis, and even working on projects with them.
“It’s exciting to see how fruitful that summer has been for both my development and where I see my career going in the future.”
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