Since 2008, a dozen Health Sciences students from Georgetown University (Washington DC) have been doing a 6-week internship at our organization, from the last week of May to the first of July. This program is aimed at young university students who are about to start their university studies in medical or similar areas.
This research internship provides students with a unique opportunity to participate in biomedical translational research at the INFANT Foundation, inserting them into a team of researchers and doctors trained locally and in the US, who study the basic science and clinical effects of viruses that cause respiratory infections in babies, children and adolescents.
The main goal of this program is to develop an understanding of the impact of translational science through first-hand experience - that is, research from laboratory to practice.
In the last year, the objectives set were:
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Acquire the theoretical concepts that allow them to execute and interpret the laboratory work. This was achieved through 15 theoretical classes given three times a week for an hour and a half by pediatric doctors, infectologists, biologists and biochemists on prevalent pathologies of childhood in our country. In these classes, students received information on translational science, immunology, virology, respiratory diseases, asthma, herd immunity, Argentine vaccination schedule, healthy children, breastfeeding, the Argentine health system, viability of premature infants and infant mortality.
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Work with the laboratory team on a research project under the supervision of INFANT staff . Along with the theoretical classes and accompanying the topics they saw with their teachers, the students had 15 meetings with their tutors in the laboratory. Here they reinforced the theoretical concepts learned and applied them to laboratory work. The 2019 project was “Clinical aspects and spectrum of severity of the disease produced by respiratory syncytial virus in young children in Argentina”. The laboratory project included hypothesis formulation, design and execution of experiments, and critical analysis of the results. In the final presentation, each working group communicated their results and the ideas debate was opened.
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Transfer the theoretical contents and laboratory activities to the field of clinical practice through visits to health centers.
To meet this objective, the students rotated through different establishments:
The Community Health and Care Center (CESAC) No. 45 of the City of Buenos Aires, where they were able to accompany professionals in primary pediatric care, as well as in vaccination and participate in workshops for the community. This year, they also had the opportunity to attend, together with the professionals from CESAC 45, the Juancitos Early Childhood Center (CPI), in which they participated in an information and support workshop for families of children from 45 days to 3 years in a state of social vulnerability.
The Ricardo Gutiérrez Children's Hospital, where they were received by professionals from the parasitology service where they work on Chagas, dengue and chikungunya.
The Pedro de Elizalde Children's General Hospital, where they were able to accompany the resident doctors on their rounds in the hospitalization area.
Finally, a very important component of the program was the immersion of the students in the culture of the country and for this, different cultural and recreational activities were carried out such as tango classes, guided tours of the city, small trips to Argentine ranches, Spanish classes and orientations about Argentine customs.
Medical Research Training Program
Together with the University of Buenos Aires, with the cooperation of Professor Dr. Jorge Geffner, we continue with the program that began in 2018, in which we select the best medical students of the last years, in order to incorporate them as junior researchers. to the INFANT network of researchers.
In their second year of participation, these students worked on their own research projects, mentored by our team, among which are INFANT mortality, recombinant RSV, recurrent wheezing, RSV, group B streptococcus, RSV immunomodulation, Interferon, BPD and maturation of B lymphocyte immunity. Some also published their papers in specialized international journals, such as Frontiers in Immunology, F1000 Research and BMC Pediatrics.
The students also participated in an introductory workshop to work in the laboratory that consisted of 12 classes where topics such as good laboratory practices, handling of laboratory equipment, sample handling, qualitative and quantitative determinations were addressed and several practices were developed in the INFANT laboratory in which all the interns participated.
Some of the students were selected to participate in international experiences at the Arnold Palmer Hospital, Orlando (United States), at the IPMCs (USA) in which one of our students presented her poster.
In their third year at the Foundation, they actively participated in COVID-19 investigations and in the Convalescent Plasma project, having become very popular under the name "The Magnificent Seven", with high visibility in the local media.
International internships
Every year we receive a rigorously selected international student to join our research teams and join our community, living together and sharing experiences for between six months and a year. All of our former interns continued very successful careers in their home countries or continued touring other societies. Many of them participated in papers directed by Dr Polack and his team.
