School of Medicine undergraduate students spoke with representatives on Capitol Hill

WVU School of Medicine undergraduate students Audra Hurley and Lainey Shouldis spoke with representatives from all four of West Virginia’s elected congressional officials- Senator Shelly Moore Capito, Senator Jim Justice, Representative Carol Miller and Representative Riley Moore, about the future of science, the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), before presenting their work at the annual American Physiology Summit (APS) in Baltimore, Maryland.

“Lainey and Audra did an awesome job at sharing their stories and sharing how current policies will impact their futures. These students are already acting like leaders in their fields, which I am sure they will become in the future. I am lucky to have them in my lab, as they are among our brightest and best,” WVU Clinical and Translational Science Ph.D. Program Professor and Director, Mark Olfert said.

Shouldis is currently in the immunology and medical microbiology program and has been accepted in WVU M.D./Ph.D. program, which she will start in fall 2025. Hurley, currently in the exercise physiology program, has been accepted in M.S. EXPH program, which she will start in summer 2025.