Kimball graduate named UNMC student of the month

Despite excelling in her studies, aspiring to be a yogi and being named the UNMC College of Medicine January student of the month, Constance Mietus, a 2005 graduate of Kimball High School maintains that she is actually pretty boring.

“I feel really blessed by the opportunity,” Mietus said. “This year I was chosen as the January student of the month for our Dean Dr. Britigan’s monthly InterCOM Newsletter.”

She believes that her nomination for the student of the month came from peers based on her involvement in extracurricular activities, hobbies and interests, as well as her dedication to education. This is not the first honor for Mietus, she was featured in a student spotlight previously, which she said is similar but not quite the same.

“I believe that the student spotlight recognition was encouraged by a fundraiser that I was organizing for the Student Alliance for Global Health,” Mietus said. “I remember receiving an email with a lot of questions about other interests and accomplishments, and from there I had an article about me. It was a bit of a surprise!”

Mietus, who completed her undergrad work at the University of Pennsylvania with majors in biology and psychology and minor work in chemistry, is currently enrolled in the M.D./Ph.D scholars program.

In the January InterCOM newsletter, Mietus said she enjoys research because it allows one to learn constantly, teach and expand the frontiers of biomedical science, which she believes improves patient treatments.

“I also enjoy being involved in several student groups. Over the past two years, I have been involved in launching a student-run literary journal, PenLight,” she stated. “Our goal is to encourage the humanistic side of medical training, and we welcome literary and artistic submissions from all health care disciplines at UNMC.”

She is quick to point out that she has had amazing support from the very beginning and counts her Kimball teachers as early mentors.

“I had several teachers that really inspired me during my high school years. I have no doubt that my interactions with them helped shape me into the person I am today. Mr. Meyers was a phenomenal science teacher that truly motivated me to strive for further training in the sciences. He really made chemistry and biology cool, and his classes were most certainly a few of my favorites,” she said. “Mrs. Olsen, my math teacher from the time of MathCounts, also made a mark, not only by being a fantastic math teacher, but by helping me gain structure, organization and discipline in my studies. I believe that Mr. Montgomery was also inspirational for both his wit and intellectualism. In addition to his hilarious one-liners, some of which I still quote today, he inspired me to enjoy reading for the art that literature is.”

Mietus built on the foundation that began while in High School and she named several mentors at UNMC, including Drs. Pipinos, Casale and Aizenberg.

“With Dr. Pipinos and Dr. Casale, I have the opportunity to explore the role of cytokines and microvascular changes in peripheral artery disease. With Dr. Aizenberg, I have the opportunity to learn about rare brain tumor types and advancing our knowledge in their treatment strategies,” she said.

Her interest in medicine began, she said around the time she was playing on the playground at Mary Lynch Elementary school and she followed the pre-med track in college.

“When I graduated from UPenn, I decided to try out research. I loved working in the lab, and through that work I had the opportunity to learn about surgery. We had several animal models, one of which we were developing. Being that the approach was novel, we had the opportunity to consult with the head of Penn’s Neurosurgery Department, Dr. Grady,” she said. “The day I went from thinking about medicine to knowing that I would pursue medicine was the day we did that initial operation. The skill, grace, intelligence, and humility that Dr. Grady demonstrated was motivational and inspirational. I knew immediately that I wanted to follow in his footsteps. I love helping people, surgery, and working within a team. Medicine allows me to do what I love!”

Mietus is enrolled in a dual degree program to obtain both her MD and PhD and she has completed the first two year of medical school.

“I am currently working on obtaining my PhD. I study microvascular changes in Peripheral Artery Disease, and I am interested how the inflammatory process, as well as a couple of different interventions (medication, exercise, revascularization) will affect the microvasculature, as well as the outcomes in our patients,” she said. “After I wrap up my PhD, I’ll return to finish the last two years of medical school. Although my plans can certainly change, I believe that I will pursue either neurosurgery or vascular surgery.”

Although she spends a lot of time focused on academics, Mietus balances her studies with many interests.

In addition to her involvement in several medical interest groups at college, she is an aspiring yogi; has studied four foreign languages; enjoys bicycling, travel and culinary and contemporary arts.

“I am very lucky to have amazing friends and family that continuously inspire me. I don’t think that I’d be here today without the encouragement and support they’ve given me! I also find a lot of relaxation in biking, running, yoga and dance,” she said.