Chase Soukup
Hometown: Delano, MN
Education: University of Notre Dame (South Bend, IN)
MD Mentor: Jay Traverse
Staff Mentors: Carmen Chan-Tram and Sarah Dennis
Projects: Is the Burden of Incomplete Revascularization Increasing over Time?; Circadian Dependence of Microvascular Obstruction in the Setting of STEMI; OPTIMIST: Long‐term Follow‐up Calls
Chase Soukup is from Delano, Minnesota, and he is gearing up to enter his senior year of studying biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame. Chase hopes to become a M.D. and first began considering entering the medical field after his godmother was diagnosed with cancer. Chase explained that on occasion, he would accompany her to doctor appointments, in which he observed the manifestation of a special relationship forged between her and the medical staff treating her. This inspired Chase to “want to be a leader in the ever-evolving health care system and treat my patients as my godmother’s health care team did.”
The opportunity to gain exposure to a hands-on learning environment and facilitate his progression towards a career as a physician led Chase to the research internship at MHIF. Chase looks forward to familiarizing himself with the various roles that health care has to offer through immersing himself in the clinical environment. Chase is excited about learning more about the field of cardiovascular medicine and the clinical research process. Through this internship, Chase hopes to refine his skills in analyzing and presenting data pertaining to medical research.
This summer, Chase will be mentored by Dr. Jay Traverse and MHIF staff members Carmen Chan‐Tram and Sarah Dennis, as they take part in three different clinical research studies. The first study is titled: Is the Burden of Incomplete Revascularization Increasing over Time? This study is observing incomplete revascularization following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). This process is a type of surgery that increases blood flow to the heart in patients with severe coronary heart disease (CHD). Additionally, Chase will be studying the circadian dependence of microvascular obstructions following ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) in the study: Circadian Dependence of Microvascular Obstruction in the Setting of STEMI. STEMI is a very serious type of heart attack that entails a situation in which one of the heart’s major arteries is blocked. Lastly, Chase will have the opportunity to connect with patients by conducting long-term follow-up calls with patients treated for coronary artery disease through the study: OPTIMIST: Long-term Follow-up Calls.
After this internship, Chase will return to Notre Dame for his senior year and will ideally be starting interviews for medical school. His research internship experience at MHIF “has persuaded me to incorporate clinical research into my future career in medicine so that I can see novel therapies developed and implemented for improved patient outcomes.”
