Biomedical Graduate Finds Path to Medical Career With Full-Time Job, Research

Arin Dorsey (B.I.S. ’24) juggled many duties during her time at Georgia State, from working full time as a nursing assistant to doing biomedical research and volunteering for worthy causes.

ATLANTA — On her path to graduation, Arin Dorsey (B.I.S. ’24) has worked diligently in the classroom and the research lab, but also in the workforce. Throughout her bachelor’s program, she had a full-time job as a nursing assistant to overcome financial barriers.

“This improved my time management skills and simultaneously prepared me for my desired career,” Dorsey said.

Dorsey, a fall 2024 graduate of the Biomedical Science and Enterprise bachelor’s program in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences and the Honors College, aspires to become a physician-scientist. After graduation, she plans to continue working at Piedmont Hospital as a nursing assistant while studying for the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Then, she will apply for M.D./D.O. and M.D./Ph.D. programs.

A native of Fayette County, W. Va., Dorsey grew up on a farm in a small town. As a young child, she wanted to become a physician after her aunt gave her some kid-friendly books about the human body and medicine. Her interest grew into reading science books as a teenager.

After reaching Georgia State, she joined a research lab in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences during her sophomore year, where she worked until graduation. She developed a passion for research and scientific writing and published three research articles, which piqued her interest in M.D./Ph.D. programs that would enable her to become a physician-scientist. Her favorite research areas are the molecular sciences, clinical medicine studies and environmental sciences.

During her research endeavors, Dorsey completed a research poster on blood pressure in mice and how this animal model can be related to humans. She worked with a Ph.D. student to draft a review paper about therapeutic applications to improve cardiac oxidative damage by blood pressure overload. She also drafted a manuscript highlighting a gene family called SMYD1-5 and how deficiencies in one of these genes may protect against atherosclerotic plaque formation, which impacts cardiopulmonology health. The abstract has been published, and the research team is working on the manuscript.

She also completed an honors thesis under the supervision of Lecturer Zachary Saylor, director of undergraduate education, which detailed post-secondary pedagogies and evaluated various parameters that contributed to students joining STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education programs and careers. In her thesis, she analyzed how to increase the number of students who follow the STEM education-to-career pipeline.

Dorsey chose to attend Georgia State because she sought the bustling nature of a city and saw the opportunities it offered. The Biomedical Science and Enterprise program helped to shape her career goals. She initially wanted to have her own medical practice, but after doing research, she’s interested in working in a hospital setting as a surgeon.

“My favorite thing about this program is the wide variety of classes I’ve taken that really shaped me into a well-rounded person,” Dorsey said. “I was able to take all of my prerequisites for medical school as electives, while still learning about how to have a successful business, the humanities — the human condition — and the hard sciences.”

She learned some of the most valuable lessons from her honors thesis, which reshaped her perspective on learning. Lessons from her physics classes also had a major impact, and she now approaches experiences in daily life, such as carnival rides, as mental math problems.

Even with Dorsey’s busy work and academic schedule, she found time to serve in leadership roles and volunteer for worthy causes. At Georgia State, she served as both the volunteer coordinator and president of the Student Osteopathic Medical Association’s pre-med student arm (Pre-SOMA), and as the volunteer coordinator for the American Medical Student Association at GSU (AMSA).

In addition, she volunteered at the Atlanta Community Food Bank directly and through Pre-SOMA, helping to sort, organize, package and deliver food to the surrounding community. During summer months, she served as a volunteer at the Chastain Horse Park, which provides therapeutic care to individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities while also caring for horses that are occasionally rescued from subpar conditions. In addition, she has donated her time for various community health initiatives at each of the hospitals where she has been employed (Grady, Emory Midtown and Piedmont Eastside).

Dorsey feels prepared for the next steps in her career journey because of her classroom and lab experiences during her bachelor’s program.

“I have a passion for learning and education,” Dorsey said. “I think it is best to know all you can know and approach things with curiosity.”

— Story by LaTina Emerson