International Students Experience Barrow Through Franke Program

Barrow Neurological Institute welcomed its first two international students supported through the Franke Global Undergraduate Internship Program in summer 2022. The students interned at Barrow throughout the duration of the 12-week program.

Aline Valeria Sousa Santos came to Barrow from Brazil and interned with Rita Sattler, PhD, in the Department of Translational Neuroscience.

She reflects on her experience: “I now feel much more prepared to start my PhD at an international institution and return to my country capable of occupying a leadership position. For being a minority in my country, a black woman, and being the first person in my family to enter higher education, these plans are huge and ambitious, and now I feel that they are actually possible.”

Gerardo Gomez Castro came to Barrow from Mexico and interned with Brian Kelly, PhD, in the
Spinal Biomechanics Laboratory.

He reflects on his experience: “I learned a lot about the impact of spine surgery on spinal biomechanics, the advantages and disadvantages of many approaches to surgery, and the importance of testing implantable devices. But most importantly, I learned the importance of having a multidisciplinary team to find cures and solutions for neurological disorders.”