Building a bridge between basic science research and patient care
Nick Arp felt the calling to become a physician while still in high school in Eldridge, Iowa.
“I want to take care of people. I had experiences that led me into medical school through my life, like family members with chronic illnesses or battling cancer,” says Arp, an MD/PhD candidate working in Jing Fan‘s lab at the Morgridge Institute for Research.
But simply becoming a physician wasn’t enough for Arp. His passion for medicine led him into basic science research at tiny Wartburg College, a private liberal arts college, and eventually to a 10-week summer research program at MIT’s Whitehead Institute.
“I fell in love with basic research. But I never gave up the idea of wanting to be a physician, and my mentor told me I didn’t have to choose and there were programs where I could do both,” Arp says. “I loved the whole idea that I could bridge the scientific world with the clinical world, and with the proper training, I could be a messenger between those worlds.”
When his acceptance letter to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health’s Medical Science Training Program arrived, Arp was thrilled. A first-generation college student, Arp reached the goal of studying to combine research and patient care.
“I showed my mom and said, ‘I’m going to be a physician-scientist.’ And my mom said, ‘But you’re still going to be a doctor, though?’ I told her not to worry,” he says.
Arp is in the sixth year of the rigorous eight-year program. He spent the first three years in med school, then embarked on a four-year doctoral path — a deep dive into metabolic science — and will return to med school to complete his final year.
The intensity of the program led Arp to take up running. From doing a mile on the treadmill, Arp entered a 10K race six months later. Since then, he has completed two marathons, four half-marathons, and competed in Madison’s Ironman 70.3 — a 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bike race, and 13.1-mile run.
“In my first year of PhD studies, I needed balance and something to get me out of the lab,” he says. “It was all motivated by finding something that was not in the lab or the med school to fill my bucket. My training helped me manage my work in the lab, too.”
The Fan Lab researches the metabolic underpinnings of cell function, particularly in innate immune cells. Arp is investigating macrophages, the body’s first line of defense in pathogen-killing, and are key element in wound healing and repair and inflammation.
The lab studies the flexible metabolic pathways in macrophages, and how altering metabolism orchestrates immune function and inflammatory state.
Arp says Fan has been an incredibly supportive mentor, suggesting approaches that would best benefit his medical career as a pulmonologist and intensive care unit physician. “Morgridge’s whole ‘Fearless Science’ approach allowed her to sit down and figure out what it is I wanted to do and how she could help,” he said.
“It’s important to chase questions that are going to be close to patient care,” Arp adds. “I still participate in patient care that informs my research question here at Morgridge. The knowledge you gain in medical school has given me a toolbox to contribute to a conversation or point out alternatives that someone who’s very deep in a scientific area might not think about.”
Rising Sparks: Early Career Stars
Rising Sparks is a monthly profile series exploring the personal inspirations and professional goals of early-career scientists at the Morgridge Institute.
Rising Sparks: Sabina Farhadova, Biomedical Imaging
Working with investigators Melissa Skala and Darcie Moore, Farhadova will use cutting-edge imaging technologies to answer fundamental questions about neurogenesis – the process by which new neurons are generated in the brain – and stem cell biology.
Rising Sparks: Kayla Huemer, biomedical engineering alum
Morgridge alum Kayla Heumer helps accelerate healthcare access for underserved communities in Africa, powered by technology and the 'spirit of frugal innovation.’
Rising Sparks: Jose Ayuso, biomedical imaging alum
Morgridge alum Jose Ayuso is an assistant professor in UW–Madison’s Department of Dermatology, where his lab uses advanced biomedical engineering technologies to tap the promise of precision medicine.
Rising Sparks: Danielle Lohman, metabolism alum
Morgridge alum lands at the U.S. Department of State, shaping the intersection of science policy and foreign affairs.
Rising Sparks: Nick Arp, metabolism
Nick Arp is building a toolbox of knowledge in the research lab and in the medical clinic, searching for answers to scientific questions that can improve patient care.
Rising Sparks: Raison Dsouza, structural biology
Raison Dsouza is developing new computational methods to analyze cryo-electron microscopy images, trying to find specific particles in “noisy,” corrupted data.
Rising Sparks: Lexi Menendez, regenerative biology
Lexi Menendez credits Morgridge and the PREP program for jump-starting her research career and graduate school future.
Rising Sparks: Kasia Wiech, biomedical imaging
Kasia Wiech, a graduate student in biomedical engineering, is on a mission to bring science out of the lab and into public spaces to highlight the impact of science in our everyday lives.
Rising Sparks: Roma Broadberry, biomedical imaging
Roma Broadberry, a biophysics graduate researcher in the Tim Grant Lab, is helping to illuminate the intricacy of viral replication using cryo-EM.
Rising Sparks: Andrés Tibabuzo, regenerative biology
From 'Jurassic Park' to snake venom to parasitic flatworms, Andrés Tibabuzo is motivated by the science that fascinates him.
Rising Sparks: Marcela Tabima, regenerative biology
Marcela Tabima has focused her fascination with human biology on two major research efforts in the Discovery Building — engineering synthetic arteries for surgery and finding new ways to treat inherited retinal diseases.
Rising Sparks: Katherine Overmyer, metabolism
Katie Overmyer collaborates with metabolism researchers to push the boundaries of mass spectrometry technology and uncover answers to important biological questions.
Rising Sparks: Joe Li, biomedical imaging
"You can always learn more": An unquenchable thirst for discovery guides Joe Li’s pursuit of cutting-edge light-sheet microscopy.
Rising Sparks: Odette Herrand, regenerative biology
Odette Herrand is drawn to the inherent creativity involved in answering complex scientific questions, which they use to study fertility in the fruit fly.
Rising Sparks: Peter Ducos, structural biology
Peter Ducos leans on his military training to solve complex problems and collaborate with other scientists by exploring molecular structures in exquisite detail.
Rising Sparks: Kim Huggler, metabolism
Kim Huggler believes science is fundamentally about creativity, and leverages an innovative cell culture media to reveal biological processes that conventional techniques cannot.
Rising Sparks: Ed Evans, biomedical imaging
Ed Evans sees every challenge as an opportunity to grow, and uses his passion for problem-solving to develop new imaging tools that will help other scientists.
