Biomedical engineer headed to Alabama for health fellowship
The Office of Fellowships is pleased to announce that Catherine Chen (McCormick ’21) has been chosen for the 2021–2022 cohort of the Project Horseshoe Farm Fellowship! Next year, Catherine will serve as a fellow in Alabama before beginning medical school.
Catherine is a 2021 graduate from Warren, New Jersey, who majored in biomedical engineering. As an undergraduate, Catherine served as the operations manager of CURE (Competition for Undergraduate Regenerative Engineering), guiding small research teams in developing hydrogels to accelerate the healing of 
wounds in diabetic patients. With interests in health technology and entrepreneurship, Catherine also served as an intern for City Health Tech, a Northwestern-based startup focused on building the future of disease-prevention technology. Outside of her coursework, Catherine was a two-year captain of Claw, the Northwestern Women’s Ultimate Frisbee team, leading the group to regional and national championships.
With her background in medical technologies, Catherine is excited for the opportunity this fellowship presents to reconnect with the personal side of medicine, learn firsthand the disparities people in rural communities face, and understand how technology may help or exacerbate these issues. After her time with Project Horseshoe Farm, Catherine will matriculate at the Feinberg School of Medicine through Northwestern’s Honors Program in Medical Education.
Catherine is Northwestern’s seventh recipient of the Project Horseshoe Farm Fellowship. Last year, Mary Stoa (WCAS ’20) and Pooja Kanthawar (SESP ’17) won the award. In 2018, Priya Garigipata (WCAS ’17) joined the cohort, while Timothy Huang (WCAS ’17) and Kevin Wang (WCAS ’17) were selected in 2017. In 2016, Rafa Ifthikar (WCAS ’16) was the first Northwestern graduate chosen for the program.
Contact Jason Kelly Roberts at jason-roberts@northwestern.edu to learn more about the Project Horseshoe Farm Fellowship.