Katelyn Stebbins

To Katelyn Stebbins, curiosity is “the driving force behind lifelong learning – the desire to ask meaningful questions, challenge assumptions, and explore the unknown with an open mind.”

Katelyn’s curiosity is intertwined with her compassion. A medical student at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and a Ph.D. candidate in Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health, her passion is in “translating scientific discoveries into clinical applications” to improve patient outcomes. She is particularly interested in the neuroscience of sensory systems. 

Her decision to pursue both research and professional medical degrees came from her fascination with an understudied area of the brain related to vision and possibly linked to many diseases. 

Despite the personal sacrifice required by the combined track, her nominator said, “Katelyn has always been ecstatic about her decision to pursue both,” with “curiosity not just about medicine and science, but how they synergize when married together.” 

Katelyn’s curiosity is contagious. Her enthusiasm has encouraged other members of Virginia Tech’s scientific community to bring new perspectives to their own research and has inspired other students to pursue combined degrees. 

Katelyn nurtures her curiosity through collaboration with her peers, and she is grateful for the supportive learning environment her programs have provided. 

She has mentored multiple undergraduate students and a medical student in her lab, which her nominator said, “has fostered in them the notion that having the ability to do research in an area of science that one is passionate about is a gift.” 

Katelyn was the first-ever Virginia Tech student to receive an F30 grant from the National Institutes of Health, supporting dual-degree predoctoral students. She has also served as an Early Career Policy Ambassador for the Society for Neuroscience.

Katelyn said her curiosity is inspired by her mom, who is a physical therapist. “Her dedication to improving her patients’ lives through both compassion and evidence-based care motivates me to keep asking how medicine and science can work together to enhance patient outcomes,” said Katelyn.

Katelyn’s proudest accomplishment is her Ph.D. She said, “Maintaining my clinical training with rigorous scientific research was demanding, but the experience strengthened my resilience and deepened my dedication to both fields.” 

In the future, she plans to pursue a career as a physician-scientist and continue her work as a mentor, contributing to a dynamic scientific community.

For her quest to bridge scientific and medical gaps to advance human health, Student Affairs is proud to present the Aspire! Award for Commit to UNWAVERING CURIOSITY to Katelyn Stebbins.