Ashland University Student Selected for Chester Summer Scholars Program

Daiva Gerbec, a Dublin, Ohio, resident and junior at Ashland University, has been selected as one of the 15 undergraduate students to participate in the Edward M. Chester, MD Summer Scholars Program at the MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
Gerbec is a 2009 graduate of Bishop Watterson High School and is majoring in biochemistry at Ashland University.

The Chester Scholars Program was established in 1981 and it gives undergraduate students that are pre-medicine and scientifically-oriented the chance to explore the potential for a career in medical research or academic medicine. This program has become nationally recognized with students from more than 40 colleges and universities across the United States.

Students that attend this program will spend ten weeks over the summer in clinical laboratory research settings. They will be assigned to a MetroHealth medical staff researcher who has developed a project for the scholar to work on. This researcher will supervise the progress of the scholar’s learning experience.

The better part of each weekday, the students will participate directly in the research project activity. There are also opportunities for observation of surgery, hospital rounds, and other experiences at MetroHealth that are an integral part of the program.
A project report for presentation is required by all students participating at the end of the ten-week program.

Gerbec, who is also a member of the Ashland University women’s basketball team, has said she plans on attending medical school following graduation from Ashland University

Ashland University, ranked in the top 200 colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report's National Universities category for 2012, is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students. 4/12/12