Randolph-Macon College student Maddie Purcell ’19 was in the Atlanta airport, returning from a trip to Jamaica, when she found out she’d been accepted to medical school.

“I was in shock,” says Purcell. “I couldn’t believe that I got into my first-choice medical school! I immediately texted my friends and family.” This fall, Purcell, a biology major and chemistry minor, will begin graduate studies at University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Hands-on Experience
Nearly every experience Purcell had at RMC helped pave the way to medical school. The recipient of a Wornom Pre-Med Scholarship, she worked closely with Josh Quinn, medical careers coordinator for the EDGE career preparation program. With Quinn’s help, she created a resume, discovered research and volunteer opportunities, and found the perfect internship.

At BetterMed Urgent Care she worked as a scribe, logging more than 2,000 hours over two years. “My experience as a scribe helped make me competitive in the medical school application process,” says Purcell, who also volunteered at Ashland’s Saint James the Less Free Clinic, where she helped provide health care for the uninsured.

At an internship at Memorial Regional Medical Center, Purcell shadowed medical personnel and hospital administrators. “I observed surgeries, witnessed procedures in interventional radiology, and interacted with patients,” she says. “My internship solidified my desire to become a physician.”

Research
On campus, Purcell conducted research in conjunction with the Schapiro Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program. SURF students conduct 10 weeks of research under the guidance of a faculty member.

Working alongside Biology Professor James Foster, she researched the effect of the lack of the Gpr56 gene on the fertility in mice. “Gpr56 is a gene that is involved in cell adhesion, and when it is mutated in people, melanoma is more likely to occur,” she explains. “Previous studies of the gene showed that male mice who lack the gene are infertile, so I studied the structure of the male reproductive tract in normal mice and mice without Gpr56.”

Mentorship
“Professor Foster has been especially helpful to my success,” says Purcell. “He is always willing to brainstorm about my research—and he was very supportive of my desire to apply to medical schools.”

Foster says, “Maddie’s hard work really paid off. She focused a lot of energy on research and presented her work at several conferences, so it has been very rewarding to follow the development of her skills and confidence as a scientist over the years. I’m excited for her and know she will make the most of the opportunities she has at Maryland.”

Purcell is a member of Kappa Alpha Theta, the Pre-Health Society, Chi Beta Phi, Phi Beta Kappa, Beta Beta Beta, Gamma Sigma Alpha, and Omicron Delta Kappa. She was recently presented a Biology Research Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in and dedication to biological research.