Columbia, Maryland native Seamus Wang is one of five winners selected for the prestigious Surgical Scholars Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The program is designed to provide research experience for recent college graduates or gap year students interested in pursuing a career in academic surgery.
Wang is a currently a student at the University of Pennsylvania, where he is majoring in biology with a concentration in ecology and evolutionary biology, and a minor in chemistry. His interest in science and research, coupled with his desire to pursue a career in medicine, make him a perfect fit for the Surgical Scholars Program.
At MSK, Seamus will be conducting research on metastatic brain cancer alongside leading surgeons and researchers. This experience will provide him with valuable insights into the field of surgical oncology and help him to develop the research and clinical skills he needs to succeed in his future career as a surgeon in academic medicine.
For the past academic year, Seamus has been conducting research in the laboratory of Dr. J Nicholas Betley in the Department of Biology, studying the genetics of neural circuits in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus that respond to eating and pain. He has also been involved in clinical research at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, Perelman School of Medicine, under Dr. Jena Tronieri for the past three years. There, his work focuses on characterizing pharmacological and behavioral treatments for obesity.
Outside of his academic work, Seamus has been actively involved as Principal Trumpet in the Penn Symphony Orchestra and Penn Wind Ensemble, and as a music mentor with After School Arts at Penn (ASAP). He also serves as Technology Director for Science Olympiad at the University of Pennsylvania (SOUP).
The Department of Biology is excited to see Seamus reach his goals, and we believe he is well on his way.
