|
| Junior Will Yakubik is spending his summer as an intern at the University of Vermont Medical Center. |
Throughout the summer, we're checking in with several returning student-athletes who are partaking in unique experiences relating to student research or internships. Our fourth profile features Will Yakubik, a junior midfielder from the men's soccer team.
Yakubik returned home to Vermont this summer, and the Advising, Planning, and Experiential Learning (APEX) Fellow is working at the University of Vermont Medical Center. There, he's interning in the pediatric rheumatology department performing clinical research and working on hospital quality methodologies.
The research side of Yakubik's internship centers around the Vermont Children Health Improvement Program, and specifically examines ways to improve transition medicine as patients move out of pediatric care upon reaching adolescence. This was accomplished through surveys with patients and parents, collaborative meetings, discussions with the advising physician, and clinical observations.
"Studies show improving this transition in care increases the life expectancy of patients compared to those who do not receive an efficient transition," explained Yakubik. "Ensuring that patients are ready and prepared to transition from a sheltered form of care in pediatrics to an independent care in adult medicine is vital to their health."
Outside of his research, Yakubik assists in the pediatric rheumatology department, where he shadows the department head in his care of patients with various rheumatologic diseases.
The neuroscience major notes he's "gaining knowledge on different forms of research that I'm not exposed to at the College, and this experience will be very helpful in my pursuits in the medical field moving forward."
About APEX Fellowships
APEX Fellowships offer structure and mentored support to students engaged in unpaid summer internships or vocational exploration programs of at least six weeks (or at least 225 hours) in duration. The fellowship includes funding, a learning contract, regular structured reflection, a final reflective assignment and evaluation, on-campus reporting, and ongoing staff support. This summer, the College's experiential learning team funded 59 such fellowships. To learn more about the College's APEX Fellowship program, visit https://www.wooster.edu/academics/apex/experiential/apex-fellowships/.