Christina Shin (née Sun) '11

 

Hello everyone and thanks for visiting my page! I am currently a resident in the Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care and Pain Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. I graduated from Wellesley College in May 2011 with a major in Neuroscience and then from Harvard Medical School in May 2016.

At Wellesley, I joined the Tetel Lab through the Science Center Summer Research Program, and continued my research, which ultimately culminated in a senior thesis. My work in the Tetel Lab focused on the role of membrane estrogen receptors in estrogen signaling using a transgenic mouse that expressed membrane only estrogen receptor-α (MOER) from Ellis Levin's lab (UC Irvine). MOER mice are void of nuclear and cytoplasmic estrogen receptors, which are known to have transcriptional effects in brain. The Levin lab had shown that MOER mice have severe atrophy of reproductive organs and that female mice are infertile. Previous work had demonstrated that wild type mice express estradiol-induced progestin receptors. For my senior thesis project, I examined whether or not MOER mice can still induce the expression of progestin receptors in brain via membrane estrogen receptors alone. To address these questions, I used immunohistochemistry and confocal analysis. My research was funded by the Robert D. Staley Award for Cancer-related research and the Jerome A. Schiff Fellowship.

At Harvard, I shifted my focus to outcomes and clinical research, studying the impact of perioperative events on postoperative outcomes, including hospital length of stay and cost. Outside of the lab, I worked on our student-faculty collaborative clinic, the Crimson Care Collaborative, to bridge gaps in care access and create opportunities for medical students to provide care to greater Boston.

 

Through my clinical rotations as a medical student, I discovered an interest in critical care and chose to enter the field of anesthesiology and critical care medicine. I am in my third year of residency and enjoy caring for patients in the acute perioperative setting. In addition to clinical medicine, my interests include hospital operations and medical education.  

 

Outside of the hospital, I cherish time with family – my husband Tom and toddler son Ryan. Together, we enjoy good food, exploring the outdoors, and playing with planes, cars and trains!