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What Is A MEDDIP Capstone?

Our Capstone Program gives committed pre‑med volunteers the chance to spend 1–3 years deeply engaged in a MEDDIP research project, contributing meaningful time, expertise, and original insight. Every project concludes with formal dissemination of the findings—either as a scientific poster presentation or as a peer‑reviewed journal article—ensuring your work reaches the wider academic community.

Capstone Requirements

Ongoing Projects

Cameron Carlucci

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Mentors

Dr. Eric Swearengen (Physician)

Joanna Langner (UCSD Medical School 4th Year)

Bretton Badenoch (UM Medical School 3rd  Year)

Biography

My name is Cameron Carlucci, I'm currently a freshman pre-med student at Virginia Commonwealth University. I have always found epidemiological research extremely interesting and thoroughly enjoy the study of determinants when assessing geographical data. My goal is to develop impactful research which informs public health policies while simultaneously improving community health literacy.

Project Description

Cameron is identifying areas of the US at highest risk of Type 2 Diabetes using machine learning models. This project will help MEDDIP decide where to focus their efforts of first deploying the risk assessment tool. Currently, the results of this project are being prepared for presentation in poster format and in paper format for academic journal submission

Project Updates & Visualizations

Diabetes Detection By County
Macro Risk Factor Importance

Specific Requirements

  • Dedicate a minimum of 12 months (up to 3 years) to your MEDDIP capstone project.

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  • Meet at least once per quarter with your assigned medical‑school mentor for project guidance and career advising.

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  • Attend weekly progress sessions with Dr. Swearengen to stay on track and troubleshoot challenges.

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  • Manage one other volunteer on the team for your project.

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  • Volunteer on one other members capstone project

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  • Secure formal approval from three members of the Director Board before launching your study or build.

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  • Produce a publicly posted final report, dataset, or tool that others can access and build upon.

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  • Share your results through one of the following:

    • Present a scientific poster at a regional or national conference, or

    • Publish a peer‑reviewed article in an academic journal.

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