Alumni Spotlight

Dr. David Sheridan graduated from UP in 2004 and is currently a physician at OHSU, a UP alum, and continuous supporter, resource, and mentor to many of our students. One example of Dr. Sheridan's support is through a program that he leads called CRISP, Clinical Research Investigative Studies Program. Through this program many of our pre-health students have been able to have a rich internship experience at the OHSU department of emergency medicine doing clinical research.

Three UP students and CRISP volunteers describe their experience here! Many thanks to Dr. Sheridan for all your continued support!

1. What is the best part of the CRISP experience thus far?

• "The best part of the CRISP experience thus far is being able to interact with the patients themselves. The level of patient contact and interaction varies with the research study. Nonetheless, it’s rewarding to be able to personally work with those that could help us help others that may be faced with the same condition in the future." -Amarti Gerba '20

• "The best part of my experience thus far is interacting with doctors and patients. I really like having the genuine conversation with patients and I like to hear how the providers think. I gained a lot of confidence going up to random people from this program because I often wouldn’t know which doctor, I actually needed to speak with, so I would approach the area with all of the nurses and ask for the one provider I needed." -Christopher Heli '18

• "To me, the best part of the CRISP experience is working closely with patients and their families." -Zhi George '19


2. How has your time with CRISP helped you with your career path?

• "CRISP has allowed me the opportunity to work on my bedside manner. As premed who aspires to make patient care my vocation, this is an invaluable experience." -Amarti Gerba '20

• "My time with the program has strengthened my belief that I want to work in medical field. I knew I didn’t want to go to medical school, so my goal is physician assistant (PA) program. To apply for PA school, they require healthcare or clinical hours where you are interacting with patients and CRISP hours count for that. If I find something I love before I fulfill all of my clinical hours then I plan to pursue that instead of PA school but PA school is the end goal." -Christopher Heli '18

• "My time with CRISP has helped with my career path by exposing me to what clinical research is like in addition to how important everyone’s role (from the custodians, volunteers, researchers, nurses, physicians’ assistants and physicians) is to the overall care of the patient. I look forward to the day I work alongside other health care personnel to ensure patients receive the best care possible." -Zhi George '19


3. How has your time at UP help you with your career path? 

• "My time at UP has helped with my career path through not only a great education but also advising and internship opportunities through the CAS. The courses I take prepare me academically to understand the fundamental concepts needed to progress in my career, and the advising here at UP has allowed for me to make a path that works best for me. The many internship opportunities and newsletters sent out have been of great help to me in that I would have never been able to experience a six week summer health professions education program if not for the weekly e-mails." -Amarti Gerba '20

• "School comes extremely easy for some and some students have to work hard. I fit into the second category, and UP is where I was truly challenged. I actually learned how to study and what study methods worked best for me here. Before attending UP, I believed I wanted to go to medical school to become a doctor. With that said, I decided that I didn’t want to be in school for another 7-8 years. Knowing that I didn’t want to be in school for a long time but I still wanted to be in the medical field, I shifted my focus from becoming a doctor to a PA." -Christopher Heli '18

• "UP has blessed me with many crucial aspects that have aided me down my career path. From several academic advisers that have personally sat down with me for hours to find the best classes and internships for me, to preparing me academically through rigorous but enjoyable classes, and by helping me foster compassion for others who are vulnerable and in need." -Zhi George '19 


4. What advice would you give aspiring pre-health types?

• "My advice to aspiring pre-health students are to look for immersive medical programs/internships/volunteer work as soon as possible. Medicine in all aspects is an awesome field, and the sooner you experience this, it will make the hard work and long study hours worth it and rewarding!" -Amarti Gerba '20

• "Things I would suggest to pre-health types include: 1. Keep your mind open to any opportunity that may come your way; it could expose you to something you might like better than your initial goal. 2. Volunteer! 3. Self-care is important. You can push yourself to do your best but it won’t be your best if you don’t take care of yourself. Eat healthy (for the most part), exercise, find a hobby and stay happy!" -Christopher Heli '18

• "My advice for those aspiring to follow the pre-health track is to seek out the many opportunities out there and to believe in your ability to succeed before assuming failure. If you really want to make something happen, you have to put in the work. It’s a tough path that I have yet to fully experience myself, but it could all be worth it in the end. The only way to know for sure is to put yourself in the shoes of those you strive to become. Take initiative to explore the volunteer and internship opportunities around you, network and find ways to shadow physicians. Through it all, just remember that until you have put yourself out there and experienced all there is to experience in preparation of the career you hope to have, there is no real way of knowing if this is the right or wrong path for you." -Zhi George '19