Erin McGonagle

About Erin

updated 6/2013: As a 2102-2013 Luce Scholar, Erin McGonagle works at Angkor Hospital for Children (AHC) in Siem Reap, a placement that has allowed her insight into the forefront of healthcare in Cambodia. Erin has worked with several doctors on an ongoing retrospective study, collaborate with AHC’s Art and Play and Social Work programs, and joined AHC’s Capacity Building and Health Education Program (CBHEP) on outreach visits to villages many kilometers from Siem Reap, occasions that have allowed her to practice her Khmer conversational skills and learn more about Cambodian culture as the only  barang  (foreigner) amongst CBHEP staff and villagers. Erin graduated from Williams College in June 2012 with a double major in Chemistry and Studio Art. She is dedicated to pursuing a career in medicine, and has a particular interest in pediatric medicine, sparked by her time spent as a volunteer atthe Children’s Hospital of Colorado and her passion for working with children. AtWilliams, Erin developed her interest in independent research in organic chemistry and biochemistry, pursuing an honors thesis in biochemistry as a part of AmyGehring’s laboratory. In summer 2010, Erin served as a research assistant in Dr. Stephen Zderic’s laboratory at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, designing andexecuting a project that examined the physiological effects of swim stress on themurine bladder. She is first author on the resulting paper, “Platform Swim Stress Results in an Altered Voiding Phenotype in Male Mice,” published in the  Journal of Neurourology and Urodynamics  in 2012. Outside of the laboratory, Erin has found balance in her academics as a Studio Art major, with a particular interest in charcoal drawing and performance art. She also has a commitment to community service, and served for four years as a volunteer and two years as president for the Williams Initiative for Student Health in Elementary Schools (WISHES). Raised in Colorado, Erin has a love for the outdoors and especially the mountains. She was a member ofthe Women’s Varsity Soccer team during her freshman and sophomore years atWilliams, and with the team, she travelled to the 2008 Final Four and the 2009 Elite Eight in the NCAA Division III competition. Erin enjoys hiking, skiing, yoga, and running half-marathons.