Medical Student, Class of 2025
Carle Illinois College of Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Maria Bederson, MSc is a second year medical student at Carle Illinois College of Medicine, UIUC - the world's first engineering-based MD program - and a 2023 recipient of the NREF Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship. In 2019, she obtained her B.S. in Molecular Engineering and B.A. in Chemistry at The University of Chicago. Subsequently, she completed a master's degree in Biophysics and Physiology at Georgetown University. Ms. Bederson's research interests rely on her background in engineering and include: 7T MRI examination of perivascular space in various pathologies, 3D modeling and reconstruction CT brain scans in veterinary models to establish stereotaxic standards for neurosurgical access, applications of neuroscience in aerospace medicine and brain changes seen in long duration spaceflight, modeling and manufactoring of common medical devices to optimize performance and cost (e.g. laryngoscopes), diversity, equity, and inclusion in medicine, surgery, and neurosurgery and medical education and simulation.