Suhani Aggarwal ’27, a neuroscience major and University Undergraduate Research Fellow here at Hopkins, describes their experience at the 2025 National Research Conference at Penn (NRCP) as more than just an opportunity to showcase their research but also a major step towards their dream of becoming a physician-scientist. 

“Because NRCP is geared toward undergraduates, it felt approachable and accessible,” Suhani shared. With encouragement from their mentor and feedback from their lab’s Principal Investigator, Suhani refined their abstract, “Serotonin transporter dysfunction exacerbates emotional response to hearing loss in mice,” and submitted their application. 

The conference, held at the University of Pennsylvania from October 10–11, brought together undergraduate researchers from across the country. The first day was packed with a series of keynote presentations and graduate school panels, which turned out to be Suhani’s favorite part of the event. 

“One of the panelists was Dr. Skip Brass, Associate Dean and Director of the Penn MD-PhD program,” they recalled. “Since I plan to pursue the MD-PhD path, hearing from him was especially impactful.” After the session, Suhani spoke with Dr. Brass about their goals. “He reassured me about applying straight through to MD-PhD programs and shared his philosophies on the physician-scientist career. Listening to him really inspired me,” they said.   

The second day centered on poster presentations. Although attendance was lighter due to Penn’s fall break, Suhani still found value in connecting with fellow student researchers and learning about their projects. “It was great to share my work and hear about others’ research,” they noted. 

Outside of the conference, Suhani explored the Penn campus and the city of Philadelphia. “A fellow attendee who had done summer research at Penn gave me a tour and pointed out landmarks such as ‘The Button.’ I also got to try new restaurants and soak in the city’s atmosphere, though I still haven’t had a Philly cheesesteak!”  

Reflecting on the experience, Suhani described it as both professionally enriching and personally meaningful. “It was my first time traveling and staying in a hotel alone, so that made it memorable on a personal level,” they said. “Professionally, it reinforced my excitement about pursuing the MD-PhD path and gave me confidence about the journey ahead.”