EMET Student Profile – Kevin Hanna, M1

Tell us about the position you are starting? I am a first-year medical student who is beginning the four year Enhanced Medical Education Track (EMET) program with a focus in HIV medicine. The program includes opportunities for preceptorships, seminars, volunteering, and research in HIV medicine culminating in a capstone research project and poster or conference presentation.

Background: I grew up in Bellevue, Nebraska and graduated from Bellevue West High School. I completed my undergraduate education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Microbiology. When I’m not studying, I love to read and run long distance races.

Why UNMC? Being a Nebraska native, I have always been interested in UNMC as an avenue to be at the center of patient care in Nebraska. When I was in high school, I participated in one of the inaugural classes of the UNMC High School Alliance, where I took Anatomy, Public Health, and Clinical Microbiology courses that piqued my interest in medicine and population health. These experiences drove me to pursue an undergraduate degree in Microbiology. This program helped me fall in love with the university, and I always hoped I would be able to come back for medical school. Additionally, I was very driven to the unique academic and clinical opportunities Nebraska Medicine provides, and am excited to be a part of the premier health system in the region.

What about ID and HIV medicine makes you excited?  I am drawn to the inherent detective work involved with Infectious Disease, and it makes me excited to use aspects of many different disciplines to solve complex, multi-system disease processes. My experiences in my undergraduate education have developed a passion for understanding the biological processes that drive diseases caused by microbial pathogens, and I am interested in tailoring treatment regimens to fight diseases caused by specific pathogens. I am especially excited to participate in this EMET, because I think HIV medicine combines infectious disease, population health, social determinants of health, and pharmacological breakthroughs in very exciting ways. I am excited to not only learn more about what it means to be an infectious disease physician, but also learn how to be a better physician through nuanced and rewarding patient interactions.

We wish Kevin the best of luck over the next several years during his journey with us as part of the HIV EMET! More information about the EMET program can be found here.

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