Highland Park med student wins podiatric association honors

Medical students have busy days in the lab and long nights in the library, but few rival Highland Park resident Laura Shin's daily routine.

Shin is a 27-year-old medical student at Dr. William M. Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science in North Chicago. She said she pulls 13-hour days, seven days a week, working toward both her Ph.D. and her Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degrees.

Last month, Shin was awarded the American Podiatric Medicine Student Association's National Outstanding Podiatric Medical Student of the Year award. She was chosen from among students in podiatric medical schools across the country.

"I am honored and a little bit surprised by the award," she said.

Shin is not set to finish Rosalind Franklin University until 2014 and is currently working on her research thesis, which is being funded through a federal grant.

Alongside Dan Peterson, the university's director of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Shin is doing research on how stem cells can help improve wound care, particularly in patients with diabetes.

She recently received research support from the American Diabetes Association.

Shin said she loves working in the laboratory, but she doesn't want it to end there. She tries focusing time equally to her research and her patient care.

"I always knew I wanted to deal with patients," she said. "Podiatry provided me the best of both worlds"

Peterson said Shin's work ethic is an example to other students.

"We want to see a good balance of her clinical and research work in all students," he said. "(This award) shows how consistent she is."