Presenting Author
Medical College of Wisconsin, Medical College of Wisconsin
Gopika SenthilKumar is a 3rd year MD-PhD student at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. She is currently pursuing her graduate work in the Department of Physiology and Anesthesiology and her work is funded by the American Heart Association Predoctoral Fellowship. She received her Bachelors of science in biomedical engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Her long-term goal is to practice as a physician scientist at an academic center, and her research interests center around strategies that decrease morbidity – through disease prevention, early interventions, and treatment optimization. Accordingly, her thesis work is focused on understanding how the interaction of estrogen and sphingolipids influence human microvascular endothelial function between sexes and throughout the lifespan. Microvascular disease is a condition that precedes large artery disease such as atherosclerosis and is prognostically important in predicting major adverse cardiovascular events in patients. This makes the microcirculation an ideal target for preventive and therapeutic interventions.
One of her major passions is to support and encourage the next generation of students interested in medicine and research. She currently spearheads a national pipeline program for female medical students interested in surgery as part of the National Association of Women Surgeons Medical Student Committee, and is the Co-Executive Director of F1 Doctors - a national student-led mentorship platform for international students interested in medical education. She also mentors undergraduate students within her lab, and hosts monthly journal club discussions with high schoolers in Milwaukee. She has received numerous awards in recognition of her research, including the 2020 Women in Science Student Award from Advancing Women in Science and Medicine and 2021 Winner of American College of Physicians National Abstract Competition.