From dishwasher to doctor

Becca McDougle knew finding a research mentor would be an important first step in her career, so she took a job washing glassware for the Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics to get to know faculty in the department, where her major is based.  She was intrigued by the work of Professor Reuben Harris, one of the department’s most accomplished researchers. He studies how a group of human proteins (APOBEC) trigger beneficial mutations that help people resist HIV and other diseases. Harris welcomed her into his lab. The Richard C. Nelson Scholarship made it possible for her to spend the entire summer studying regulation of the APOBEC proteins and their role in our innate immune response.

“Doing real research in a lab with a scientist like Dr. Harris is the most rewarding part of my education at the University,” Becca says. “But since I am working my way through college, it’s hard to find enough time for research. That’s why this scholarship means so much to me.” When Becca received the award at the annual department banquet, she was gratified that several former professors remembered and congratulated her. That may not be too surprising considering her GPA is 3.95.

“Becca is pretty much a model citizen,” Harris says. “Very clever, and no matter what the job she rolls up her sleeves and gets it done. On top of that, she’s very nice.”

Nelson, who earned a B.S. at the University of Minnesota in 1934 and a Ph.D. in biochemistry in 1937, was a biochemistry professor at Northwestern and Ohio State universities and had a long relationship with 3M. His daughter, Sara Nelson Cooke, and son, Daniel Nelson, created the scholarship to honor his memory and support high-achieving biochemistry students.

Becca also received a four-year U of M Presidential Scholarship and the CBS Harold Paul Morris Scholarship for her first two years. Morris, who earned a B.S. in 1925 and a Ph.D. in 1930, had a distinguished career with the USDA, the FDA and the National Cancer Institute. His son, Emory Morris, established the scholarship to honor his father.

As a senior this year, she will continue in Harris’s lab. And in the fall, she will begin applying for M.D./Ph.D programs. While she enjoys research, she also wants to be a physician and interact with patients, possibly in the pediatrics unit of a research hospital. This will require three years of graduate school and four years of medical school, plus residencies.

“I know those extra years will be difficult, but they will enable me to do both the things I’m passionate about, research and patient care.”

In spite of her busy schedule, Becca makes time for community service. She volunteers on the pediatric floor at Fairview University Medical Center. And she’s active in Biology Without Borders (a CBS student group that makes trips to developing countries) as well as Compassionate Action for Animals, which focuses on humane treatment of farm animals. She also finds time for painting, her hobby.