Program, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah School of Medicine evisceration," or surgical re- her first full year of ophthalmology training. Following a preliminary year in internal medicine, she was thrilled that her first rotation, oculoplastics, provided challeng- ing, hands-on experience in surgery, the field that origi- nally led her to ophthalmology. caring for 120,000 patients each year. Each floor is divid- ed between patient care and basic research, enhancing opportunities for translational research. Most trainees participate in medical missions abroad and on reserva- tions in the West. at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. At Moran, in collaboration with two senior faculty members, she is investigating the role of genetic risk factors and serum biomarkers for age-related macular degeneration. The ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation awarded her a one-year, $15,000 grant, which Moran will match in the following two years of her residency. Program, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) a career in orthopedic-focused pace of patient care. During his first two years in the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program at UCSF, he received general training in various surgical fields. Now in his third year, he is excited to be gaining hands-on operative experience in orthopedics and mentoring second-year trainees. from community physicians--unusual cases that even UCSF may not have seen. But we may have seen something similar, and from there, we can develop a treatment plan using a combination of approaches." research in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. During medical school, he earned a PhD in biomedical engineering from Rutgers University, focusing on a new type of neural interface that would restore better capabilities to patients with prostheses. Endocrinology and Infertility, National Institutes of Health (NIH)/Walter Reed National Military Medical Center might become a cardiologist," says Dr. Patounakis, degree. "But I found my OB/GYN rotation so interesting that I followed up with electives in the division of maternal-fetal medicine and the division of reproductive endocrinology and infertility. And that clinched it for me. I enjoyed surgery, learned a lot, and made good connec- tions with patients." tinuing research in collaboration with colleagues at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, studying genetic factors that influence embryo implantation. organelles on reproductive health, investigating whether these parts of the cell can be changed or somehow used to predict the reproductive potential of the egg. "The NIH is an exciting place to be," he says. "It's an oppor- tunity to pursue my research alongside world experts." military couples at Walter Reed. In addition, he sees both civilian and military patients at the NIH clinic, learning about and addressing rarer forms of endocrine disease. T E V E H S T E I N |