UCCS is a growing university, and is establishing itself as a strong contender in many disciplines – something that UCCS alumna and current Yale doctoral candidate, Madison Fox, can attest to.
Madison graduated with her bachelor’s from the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences (LAS) in Chemistry and Biochemistry in 2022 before accepting a two-year post-baccalaureate fellowship with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Now, she’s starting a doctoral program at Yale School of Medicine – and credits her time at UCCS for helping prepare her.
“When I was starting in the research lab, I realized how strong UCCS was in science,” said Madison. “Even at the NIH, when talking to people who graduated from well-known prestigious institutions, I realized that I received a really great, strong education. I hope that UCCS continues to become more well known for their biochemistry program, because it has set me up well and helped me be as successful as I am today.”
Madison had her pick of doctoral programs after her two-year NIH fellowship, with acceptances to several institutions including Stanford University, Emory University, UNC-Chapel Hill School of Medicine, the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and more. It wasn’t an easy decision, but after interviewing with Yale and meeting its community members, Madison felt a strong connection to their program.
“The students, faculty and everyone on the Yale campus were so welcoming and kind, and I could tell that as much as I wanted to be there, they also wanted me to be there,” said Madison. “Coming from UCCS, where I loved the faculty and my classmates, and had that family-style community, it felt very closely mirrored at Yale.”
“Another reason I chose Yale is that they have many fascinating and ongoing projects, but that I have full autonomy to pursue my own ideas as well,” she added. “That’s what I’ve been doing this whole time at the NIH, leading my own studies targeted toward curing and preventing HIV-1 (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) infections, and even at UCCS, Professor Kovacs gave me so much freedom in the direction of my studies, which I appreciated. Taking ownership of my work and being able to pursue something that I am passionate about is what really sold me on Yale.”
Along with the difficult decision of where to start her new chapter, Madison also had to choose which career path she wanted to pursue between further delving into immunology and research, or a more hands-on role as a physician.
“I was initially considering getting an MD with a Ph.D., because I wanted that hands-on clinical experience and I wanted to interact with patients,” she explained. “But when I started learning more about the biotech industry, it seemed so innovative. I wanted to be a part of something where I could create a therapeutic or a vaccine, or make scientific discoveries that are able to last. The groundbreaking revelations science provides, and the access to all of these incredible technologies, resources, patients and hospitals, is where I really fit in.”
Even after narrowing that down, Madison still has many specializations within immunology to consider.
“I’m planning to rotate with three potential principal investigators at Yale,” she said. “I may stay in infectious diseases and continue vaccine research, but I’m also open to exploring other areas of immunology. It’s another reason why I chose this field – there’s such a wide intersection with other fields of medicine that you can really dabble in all sorts of topics.”
Madison’s acceptance to Yale isn’t the only accomplishment she’s celebrating. An upcoming publication on HIV research sees her as first author for the first time on a study she spearheaded.
“It’s a pretty significant study I oversaw for the past couple years,” Madison said. “I’m very lucky that the NIH has allowed me to lead studies and write up these papers. Being able to have that responsibility, but also that privilege, has been an incredible experience. When the paper comes out, hopefully the findings that I’ve had over the past couple of years will make an impact and put us one step closer to eventually finding a cure for HIV.”
Madison had good practice for undertaking such a momentous project relatively early in her career after similar experiences at UCCS, where she pursued research opportunities as a new freshman and created an entire Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) outreach program for local high schoolers.
“You have to be brave,” laughed Madison. “I went into Professor Kovacs’s office and I asked him if he had research opportunities. At first it was ‘no, but I’ll keep you in mind.’ It was scary, just going to these offices and asking people about research opportunities when you’re a freshman in college. But that’s how you get these opportunities, and so you never know unless you ask.”
The STEM program Madison established invited local students to visit campus and learn about STEM careers and pathways. They toured research labs, met with faculty and staff and learned about disciplines and jobs they may not have been exposed to.
“I can’t imagine most universities would have let me create a STEM outreach program at the level that I did,” said Madison. “I absolutely loved running it. Providing students with these opportunities was a gateway for me as to what it means to be in a career field where you’re mentoring students and you’re teaching them science, but you’re also teaching them how to think and how to ask questions.”
Madison hopes to continue participating in outreach like this wherever she ends up in her career and introduce young students to the discipline she’s so passionate about.
“I want to incorporate more of these programs wherever I go and hopefully give back to my community,” she said. “It’s so great to see people fall in love with science. I had many great professors at UCCS and mentors at the NIH, and I love the idea of motivating students to pursue a field like immunology or be involved with research.”
With plenty of possibilities waiting for her, Madison is excited to further explore immunology in her new setting.
“There’s many options and unlimited career paths I can take with a Ph.D. in immunology,” said Madison. “Whether it is starting my own biotech company, being a part of a startup, working in venture capital as an immunologist or even going into academia and government.”
Regardless of where her path takes her, Madison knows she’ll love the journey and be helping create a better world along the way.
“I have a deep reverence and appreciation for people and humanity in general, and wanting to give back to them,” she said. “Find something that you are truly fascinated by, and then be ready to embrace the challenge and not be afraid of failure.”
About the UCCS College of Letters, Arts & Sciences
The College of Letters, Arts & Sciences at UCCS is the university’s largest college, enrolling nearly 6,000 students across 21 departments and programs. The college offers 19 majors and 53 minors in the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Students can also choose from five accelerated bachelor’s and master’s degrees, nine full master’s degrees and three Ph.D. degrees, as well as pre-medical and pre-law programs. The mission of the college is to position graduates for success in their personal and professional lives, with a focus on thinking, creating and communicating — skills vital to employers and graduate and professional schools. Learn more about the College of Letters, Arts & Sciences at UCCS.