My experience in the NIEHS medical student research fellowship has been one of the most rewarding and productive experiences of my career. During this fellowship, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in both clinical and laboratory based science, asking important scientific questions and designing experiments to answer those questions. My work focused on how genetic factors interact with the environment to increase risk for certain inflammatory conditions. In addition to the didactic training I received, I was challenged by my mentors to thoroughly investigate the literature, think critically about my experiment design, and to consider future clinical applications of my research projects. This holistic approach kept my work exciting and helped me stay focused on the big picture. During my fellowship experience, I also had the opportunity to attend multiple prestigious conferences, and to present the results of my work to the larger scientific community. Perhaps even more valuable, is the incredible support and mentorship I received throughout my stay at the NIEHS. This mentorship has persisted even after my training, and has now blossomed into a life-long professional relationship. Indeed while there are many excellent research programs for medical students, I cannot think of one that offers the depth or breadth of training offered at the NIEHS MRSP, or one that offers such unbridled access to a network of accomplished career scientists and co-fellows. I strongly recommend this program to any medical student interested in a future in academic medicine."