When Ahron Flowers ’14 declared a Biology major at Randolph-Macon, he thought he’d go to medical school or become a physician assistant, a common pathway for his peers then and now. 

But Dr. Grace Lim-Fong, the Stephen H. Watts Professor of Physical Sciences, saw that he had a gift for research, and he quickly became a mainstay in her lab. There, they researched the symbiotic relationship of a marine invertebrate (Bugula neritina) and its bacteria, which produces a chemical compound with potential medical applications. “She really took me under her wing,” Flowers recalled.

That opportunity to conduct undergraduate research fostered a passion in Flowers and has led to an already-blossoming career in biomedical science. While working on his master’s degree, he secured a job as a research scientist at the University of Pennsylvania doing pancreatic cancer research. From there, he quickly rose through the ranks and now serves as the Director of Administration for Penn Medicine’s Tara Miller Melanoma Center (TMMC).

When Flowers—a first-generation college student—was honored as a 10 Under 10 Award recipient in 2024, he felt inspired to give back to RMC. Now, he’s doing what Lim-Fong did for him: mentoring students as they explore possible pathways for their careers in the field of biology. In summer 2024, Flowers hosted the first of what is now a cohort of students who’ve interned with the TMMC. In the internship program, which Flowers designed, RMC students get a look at numerous career opportunities in translational medicine at the intersection of oncology, patient care, and research.

“I knew I was very passionate about healthcare and medicine and research, but I didn’t know if I wanted to go to medical school or really what I wanted to focus on,” said Addison Browell ‘26, who spent five weeks in Philadelphia as the first intern from RMC. “I was really looking for something that would immerse me in a place where I could try out all different types of health professions.”

And she certainly found the immersion she was looking for. In addition to shadowing a wide range of clinicians, Browell had weekly one-on-one meetings with a clinical oncologist to discuss research, sat in on tumor board meetings where multidisciplinary groups of clinicians develop treatment plans for challenging cases, and even observed operating room procedures. Ultimately, the experience helped solidify her future career plans.

“I shadowed so many people who have their Ph.D.—and it’s not an M.D. Now, that’s what I want to do, is get my Ph.D. in research,” Browell, a Biology and Behavioral Neuroscience double major with minors in Psychology and Asian Studies, said. “It was very valuable to shadow all the people that I might not end up being, but I would work with in the future.”

“My goal is always to make sure that the students get the best experience while they’re here,” Flowers explained. “I made it very broad. They’re in a lab, they’re seeing what’s going on there. They’re following different specialties: medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical oncology.” 

The opportunity is a product of collaboration between Flowers, his Penn Medicine colleagues, and the Edge Career Center at Randolph-Macon. Penn offers a stipend for students, while RMC covers housing costs in Philadelphia through the Jan Carter Medical Internship Endowed Fund. The internship also provides students with a taste of independent living in a big and vibrant city. Josh Quinn, RMC’s Director of Health Careers and Professional Development, helps recruit students for the internship, which in the summer of 2025 expanded to eight weeks and two students: Kathleen Connor ’27, a Biology and Chemistry double major and Ifeoma Edozie ’28, a Biology major.

Flowers was intentional in giving students opportunities to network with interns in other programs across Penn Medicine, and tailoring the experience to match their interests. Connor had previous lab experience, so—in addition to shadowing clinicians—she got hands-on experience in a data entry role that helped illustrate how documentation on a patient’s chart can lead to a diagnosis and treatment.

Edozie was inspired to follow oncology after the passing of her uncle in Nigeria from thyroid cancer. At Penn, she met with Dr. Yehoda Martei, who specializes in global health and has conducted research on healthcare accessibility in Africa.

 “We meet weekly with them, and to see them light up and say ‘I learned something new, and I really enjoyed this part,’ that is a good feeling for me,” Flowers said.

“I was exposed to a lot of new things in this internship about healthcare that I did not know existed,” Connor said. “Now that I know they exist, I realized I have a lot more different avenues for future career plans.”