By Haley Tenore

Burhan Buttar has ambitions of attending medical school and working in health care. A recent internship at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, an academic medical center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, provided him with an opportunity to collaborate with physicians, spend time with patients and consider what his future in medicine might look like.

Buttar, a junior biology and philosophy major in the Virginia Commonwealth University College of Humanities and Sciences, started to work remotely on a research project for Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist during the past academic year after connecting with a physician there and sharing his resume. That remote work led to an on-site internship in May and June. Buttar received support from VCU’s Internship Funding Program, which helps cover costs associated with summer internships.

During his internship, Buttar spent most of his time in the dermatology department and observed clinical care for a variety of skin conditions. He also supported ongoing specialty research, including a study that uses patient interviews to study how skin conditions impact lifestyle.

“One of the most valuable parts of this experience beyond just the specialty specific research, was being able to expand my research skill set,” Buttar said. “This provided me with new skills. I was able to learn about qualitative studies, interviewing, charting, and using a bunch of new tools. I've learned how to write editorials, original articles, reviews and more.”

Buttar said it was rewarding to spend time in a clinical setting.

“I attended clinic about two to three times a week,” Buttar said. “We worked alongside patients, addressed their concerns, assessed if they were qualified to partake in a study and if they were, we’d recruit them. I learned more about the specialty, common procedures and how it all works. I was able to assist in super minor cases and get some hands-on experience.”

Buttar also attended clinical meetings and networked with other professionals in the field.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to meet a bunch of new people with similar interests and see how they were pursuing their goals,” Buttar said. “I was the youngest member in the lab, so I think a lot of them had a lot of valuable insight for me on how to proceed with undergraduate, medical school and residency, and how your lifestyle changes according to that. So, a lot of valuable mentorships there.”

Buttar plans to continue his education after graduation at the VCU School of Medicine through its guaranteed admission program. At VCU, Buttar works in a pharmacology lab studying the impacts of vaping and nicotine addiction. The Honors College student also is part of an organization called Wind Down Wednesday, which focuses on improving student mental health.

Buttar plans to continue to work remotely on the research he began at Wake Forest, and he hopes to visit Winston-Salem again sometime in the future and reconvene with the Wake Forest team.

“I've enjoyed all of it,” Buttar said. “I'm open-minded for where I’ll end up, but in terms of my goals themselves, I'm just taking it one step at a time.”