UMMC Fellowship Opens Door to Prestigious Mayo Clinic Opportunity

Public policy leadership major took new perspectives to summer program

Anna Grace Stout

Anna Grace Stout

OXFORD, Miss. – University of Mississippi senior Anna Grace Stout of Carthage used her experience at the University of Mississippi Medical Center Bioethics Fellowship to gain acceptance to a prestigious Mayo Clinic Summer Program.

The Mayo Clinic Summer Undergraduate Program in Biomedical Ethics Research pairs students with a faculty mentor for summer research. Stout was paired this summer with Dr. Megan Allyse, who specializes in reproductive ethics and women’s health, and Dr. Katherine Carroll, a medical sociologist, on two separate projects.

Stout participated in qualitative research in the women’s health field and conducted focus groups while she also helped develop a codebook for Carroll.

Because the Mayo Clinic chooses only five students nationwide for the Summer Undergraduate Program, Stout was in a select group of participants. She credits her experience in summer 2014 as a UM Medical Center fellow as being crucial to being accepted into the Mayo Clinic program.

“My experience at UMMC allowed me to bring a new perspective to the table,” Stout said. “While there, I experienced firsthand the ethical dilemmas our state faces.”

Because she is majoring in public policy leadership with double minors in chemistry and biology, Stout seems like an unorthodox applicant for the medical programs. However, Stout said her studies have given her invaluable experience benefitting both the Mayo Clinic program and the UM Medical Center fellowship.

“I chose public policy leadership because I believe that an understanding of the policy realm and health policies is invaluable for both aspiring and practicing physicians,” Stout said.

Through her participation in the Trent Lott Leadership Institute, Stout said she learned communication and time-management skills that make her a more competitive and well-rounded student.

Now that she has completed both programs, Stout said she is eager to bring her knowledge back to her home state.

“As a Mississippian and an aspiring physician, I hope to help make strides towards improving health care in our state,” Stout said.

She was able to use her experience in both programs to organize the university’s first poverty simulation program. The program’s purpose is to demonstrate poverty’s extensive impact on the community.

“My aim is to apply what I have learned over the years as I continue to work towards a better understanding of the factors that impact our health care system,” Stout said.