When the Gates Summer Internship Program (GSIP) launched in 2015, the field of regenerative medicine was at a pivotal moment, with recent developments in cell and gene therapy being heralded by the scientific community.
GSIP began as an educational initiative of the Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine, thanks to a generous gift from Rhondda and the late Peter Grant. The Grants’ gift was just the start; numerous individuals and organizations contributed to the philanthropic effort to give the program a solid foundation. In 2022, the center became the Gates Institute, which focuses on rapidly translating laboratory findings into regenerative, cellular, and gene therapies for patients at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and beyond. Gates Institute has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to building a pipeline of next-generation researchers and clinicians through its continued investment in GSIP.
GSIP has gained visibility across the country and beyond as it attracts outstanding college undergraduates and ignites the professional careers of emerging scientists across disciplines.
We recently reconnected with three former interns making significant contributions to their fields. Though their educational paths have been uniquely their own, the values they learned through the Gates experience continue to support them in work — and in life.
Underscoring the importance of academic research
Andrew Ramos, PhD
GSIP Class of 2016
GSIP Mentor: Ganna Bilousova, PhD
"Without the Gates internship, I wouldn't be where I am today,” said Andrew Ramos, who was mentored by Anya Bilousova, PhD. Ramos is now a postdoctoral fellow at New College, Oxford, where he researches CAR T therapies. |
Andrew Ramos was an undergraduate at the Syracuse Biomaterials Institute with an interest in regenerative medicine when he applied for a GSIP internship in 2016. He had learned about the work of CU Anschutz Dermatology Associate Professor Ganna Bilousova, PhD, whose research focused on induced pluripotent stem cells and tissue engineering, and he was thrilled to be assigned to her lab.
During his internship, Ramos worked on optimizing protocols aimed at improving the long-term integration of lab-grown skin grafts. At the time, such grafts offered short-term coverage and protection but failed to integrate into the patient’s skin because they didn’t have blood vessels. In the lab, he helped researchers find proof of concept for a protocol that could introduce a network of vasculature into lab-grown tissue.
The GSIP experience solidified Ramos’ interest in biomedical research and regenerative medicine, particularly cell and gene therapy.
“I came to understand that this work was at the frontier of biomedical research and that it had the potential to address some of those diseases and challenges for which we haven't had any solutions.”
His experience in GSIP also inspired him to pursue academia. Though he briefly considered going into engineering and working privately, he came to value teaching and mentorship.
“As I was finishing my time in the program, I was mentoring and teaching a new research assistant that was joining the lab. I found it to be really fulfilling.”
Ramos went on to complete a doctorate in medical sciences from University of Oxford where his research focused on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells, a type of immunotherapy that’s seen success in subtypes of blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. This work led to him being selected to be a junior research fellow (a postdoctoral fellowship) at New College, University of Oxford. Ramos says GSIP set him apart when applying and interviewing for his doctorate and postdoc. He recalls the research panel during his interviews at Oxford being excited about the work happening at Gates.
“Without the Gates internship, I wouldn't be where I am today,” he said.
The experience also demonstrated the importance of mentorship in a scientific career.
“As students, we come into this work in a very vulnerable position. And our mentors become a ‘north star.’ They validate you, your ideas and your work--but also share their own experiences and knowledge. And we blend the two to make something more, together.”
Learning what it takes to be a researcher
Sarah Pimple (Seiwald), MD
GSIP Class of 2017
GSIP Mentor: Mark Petrash, PhD
 
After completing her GSIP internship, Sarah Pimple went on to study at University of Colorado School of Medicine, where she continued to collaborate with her GSIP mentor, Mark Petrash, PhD. |
Sarah Pimple (Seiwald) graduated in the spring of 2024 from the University of Colorado School of Medicine. At the ceremony, her GSIP mentor, Mark Petrash, PhD, placed her hood.
Pimple was mentored by Petrash during the 2017 GSIP cohort to study ophthalmology. She’s worn glasses since the age of six months and had a lot of interactions with ophthalmologists, so she was curious to learn more about research in this area.
During her undergraduate work at Regis University, she gained experience in research using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based strategies through honors biology courses. She had some DNA handling experience as well, but before GSIP she’d never been exposed to tissue slicing or looking at histology through microscopes.
She’d also never participated in live animal investigation. She remembers when she started out, she was disappointed that she didn’t know more. With Petrash’s guidance, she gained confidence.
During her internship, Pimple worked on a study of mouse eyes and lens regeneration. After removing the lens in mice, cells left behind began to organize and grow back. She explored how the removal of certain genes might impact this regrowth. The work she helped with in 2017 was expanded on and eventually published in a medical journal.
Pimple believes her time at Gates gave her an appreciation for the rigor of research. She appreciates the resiliency it takes to be a good investigator.
“A good research project starts with a good plan, but it also means you have to have the wherewithal to see it through and be able to problem solve in the middle,” she said. “It's not going to happen like you want it to happen, or the results are not always going to be what you think. And that's where real discovery happens.”
With Petrash as her mentor, Pimple learned to always think one step ahead. He offered his advice and experience, yet he gave her the space to make her own research choices.
“He was there to inspire me and push me to think more critically,” she said. “But I’ll never forget how kind he was during the whole research process. It was a joy to work with him, from day one.”
After the internship, Pimple became interested in being a doctor. Petrash wrote a letter of support for her application to the University of Colorado School of Medicine. After she was accepted, she reconnected with Petrash to partner on an ophthalmology project. The results of this study will be published soon.
Pimple decided to shift her focus from ophthalmology to internal medicine during her first year of medical school.
“It’s a time of discovery,” she said. “The Gates experience encouraged me to explore my passions.”
She decided to pursue internal medicine. And as graduation approached, she considered staying in Colorado. But other programs interested her, and she interviewed for the residency program in Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Petrash again offered a letter of support and helped her celebrate when she was accepted into her first choice.
“It’s a dream come true,” she said.
Though Pimple has shifted from a lab-based research focus into clinical care, she hopes to continue working in an academic setting after completing her residency. She’s interested in doing clinical research and possibly clinical trials.
She credits her Gates experience for helping her along the way.
“I might not be where I am today if I hadn’t had this research experience.”
Channeling curiosity into scientific engagement
Eleanor (Ellie) Mackintosh, PhD candidate
GSIP Class of 2018
GSIP Mentor: Tamara Terzian, PhD
.png?width=132&height=184&name=Ellie%20Mackintosh%20(1).png)  Ellie Mackintosh credits GSIP with helping her understand the realities of scientific inquiry. In photo at right, she walks through her poster presentation with Yvette Frampton, a Gates Institute advisory board member and alum and trustee of Davidson College, where Mackintosh earned her undergraduate degree. |
Eleanor (Ellie) Mackintosh loved science in high school and thought she’d become a doctor. But her experience in the 2018 GSIP opened her up to new possibilities in the study of science. Today, she’s a PhD candidate at Columbia University studying theoretical chemistry. And she credits her growth as a woman in science to the foundations learned as an intern.
Mackintosh’s GSIP cohort started just after she experienced the death of a close family member. She started the program while dealing with grief. And at 18 years old, she was the youngest and least experienced in the room.
“There was a lot that could have made me feel peripheral to the environment. But that's part of what made the experience so impactful for me. Instead of these things feeling like liabilities, they were accepted. I felt really supported.”
Mackintosh was mentored by Tamara Terzian, PhD, to study biology. During her time, she had the opportunity to shadow a variety of researchers doing many different things. She was impressed by the level of expertise people brought to their respective fields.
“There’s so much room for individual curiosity and commitment, which is something I didn’t fully appreciate before.”
Mackintosh credits GSIP for giving her space to ask questions and open up to people who can help.
“The Gates experience teaches you how to advocate for yourself in academic and scientific spaces,” she said. “I was learning to channel curiosity into self-advocacy and into scientific engagement and learning.”
The program also helped her understand the realities of scientific inquiry.
“Part of it was just realizing that on paper, you haven't discovered anything particularly exciting. But internally, you've learned so much. And that's really valuable as a scientist and as a person.”
The internship also taught Mackintosh the importance of finding good mentors. She credits a postdoc mentor for what she’s described as a transformative experience in her theoretical chemistry program.
Mackintosh is currently studying the formation of nanocrystals, tiny particles with crystalline structure used to advance nanotechnologies. Currently there’s a model that explains how nanocrystals grow. But experimental evidence suggests the theory may not be correct.
“As a theoretical researcher, I can come in and try to come up with a new theory,” she said.
After graduating from Davidson College, Mackintosh earned a master’s degree in education from Harvard University. She hopes to continue teaching at an institution that values scientific education upon completion of her PhD.
Mackintosh’s experience of feeling supported by the GSIP community as a young student continues to inform her passion for teaching. She hopes to engage students from different backgrounds in the field of chemistry.
“We have the chance to create welcoming and validating spaces where students can ask questions and feel encouraged,” she said. “I want to show people how beautiful it can be to devote ourselves to a better understanding of the world through science.”
NOTE: The Gates Summer Internship Program (GSIP) is made possible through philanthropic gifts. To support GSIP, please contact Allison Krebs in the CU Anschutz Office of Advancement at allison.krebs@cuanschutz.edu or 303-724-6342.
