Two DMU Students Complete Externships in Prestigious Clinical Research Program

WEST DES MOINES, IA (10/06/2025) This summer, Ethan Kau and Alisa Pairmore, both second-year students in Des Moines University Medicine and Health Sciences' Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program, completed externships in the Robert A. Winn Clinical Investigator Pathway Program.

Supported by the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation, Winn CIPP aims to build a future workforce of clinical trial researchers dedicated to "improving participation in clinical trials to drive better health outcomes in all communities and save more lives," according to its mission.

The six-week externship provides participants with immersive, first-hand exposure to clinical research at top institutions, where they engage in service-learning projects that prioritize real-world impact. The experience culminates in a symposium, where students gather for a weekend of workshops, educational programming, sharing professional experiences and networking opportunities.

"Winn CIPP underscores the critical need for community-engaged, evidence-based clinical research," says Pravin Mishra, Ph.D., M.B.A., chief research officer at DMU.

Kau, from Folsom, California, spent the summer in Seattle, Washington, at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where he shadowed physicians, attended talks and networked with peers from across the country. The experience led him to consider how research could impact his future practice.

"Research was not something I was planning on doing down the line," Kau says. "At Fred Hutch, I saw how academically- and research-oriented things were and how they integrated that into their practice, even making it a priority. It was about how they could use that approach to treating patients, like one piece of the puzzle."

Kau also traveled to rural Washington to observe providers in an environment far different from that in Seattle. It gave him new insight into how to treat disparate populations.

"The biggest thing I noticed is how different the care is there," he says. "Rural Washington is mostly farmland, and the scope is different, the population is different. How do you care for people when you don't have the staff or the knowledge or the technology?"

Pairmore, who is from Anchorage, Alaska, worked as a clinical research coordinator prior to entering medical school but says she was eager to work with physicians, particularly those in oncology clinical trials. Like Kau, she spent the summer at Fred Hutch.

"The work they do is fascinating," she says. "I really wanted to get a hands-on opportunity to do research, so Winn CIPP was the perfect program for me. I wanted to see what that life looks like, especially as a physician. At Fred Hutch, I was able to see the workload and the lifestyle and the day-to-day of what being a physician scientist looks like."

Pairmore says Winn CIPP supports more than research and caring for the whole patient. It's also about the health care professionals. "Clinical research is super important, maybe more important than ever right now. But a big theme - one Winn CIPP really tried to remind us of - is that there's a space for everyone in research and medicine. In practice, it's hard to remember that sometimes, but they were very encouraging of us."

Mishra agrees. "Both Ethan and Alisa have the motivation, dedication and focus required to address health disparities in the community. I have no doubt that they will ensure that all patients have access to safe, effective treatments as they begin their careers in health care," he says.

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