Caleb Spruill, biology/chemistry/public health, Duke University School of Medicine

A family history of kidney disease led East Carolina University student Caleb Spruill to apply for a summer research program at Duke University School of Medicine. Where a summer of research could lead Spruill is anyone’s guess.

Spruill was one of six students from across the country to participate in the PRIME Paired Undergraduate Mentoring Program (PUMP) in uronephrology. The program is designed to get promising students prepared for graduate school and interested in the fields of urology and nephrology, both of which have a workforce shortage.

Caleb Spruill participated in the Duke PRIME PUMP research program at Duke University School of Medicine. (Contributed photo)

“I discovered this program through the weekly newsletter sent out by the pre-professional advising center and applied because of my family history of kidney disease,” he said. “It was an amazing experience where I got to learn basic laboratory skills that I plan to bring back to ECU to continue my work. I was also able to shadow nephrologists at Duke hospital where I got to explore my love for medicine.”

A Greenville native and Brinkley-Lane Scholar, Spruill is majoring in biology, chemistry and public health. The junior said he appreciated how inviting everyone in the program was and how the mentors were excited to help the next generation of physician-scientists, a concept that he was unfamiliar with prior to the internship.

“I learned what physician-scientists are: physicians who split their time between treating patients and conducting research. I was constantly impressed by how those physicians were able to balance their patients and their research, and it was amazing to see how they combined both of those fields.”

Spruill worked on his time management skills in the Duke PRIME PUMP program while also taking summer classes at ECU.

“The biggest thing I learned was how to balance all of my responsibilities,” he said. “I had to balance full-time research, shadowing physicians, summer courses at ECU and making sure I had fun throughout the summer. I also learned that so many researchers truly want to help students achieve their goals and encourage anyone interested in research to reach out to their colleagues and professors because you never know what door it could open.”

After graduating from ECU, Spruill hopes to attend medical school and become a physician.

“When I started at ECU, I did not expect to be doing biomedical research at Duke, but you never know what life offers until you begin reaching for your goals,” he said.

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