Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Dr. Swift and her family joined Dorothy Fink to celebrate Fink's graduation from medical school. (Courtesy Dorothy Fink)

By Theodora Danylevich

Dorothy Fink, who graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine in May 2007, is now a first-year Internal Medicine and Pediatrics resident at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. She began her work in Dr. Swift’s lab as an undergraduate during her sophomore year at Georgetown University.

“I just fell in love with chemistry during college. Imagining how molecules interact fascinates me, and this led me to work in Dr. Swift’s organic chemistry lab,” says Fink. Her work in the lab focused on the ways molecules recognize and bind to uric acid crystals.

Properly functioning metabolic pathways regulate the production of uric acid in our bodies, and the kidneys control its concentration in the blood. Metabolic errors can lead to an imbalance in the production-elimination equilibrium, resulting in elevated uric acid concentrations. If pH and concentration conditions are above saturation, uric acid can crystallize our bodies. Research like what Fink worked on in Dr. Swift’s lab may enable the development of rationally designed crystal growth inhibitors.

“Gout and tumor lysis syndrome are both examples of medical conditions that I have treated where uric acid production and secretion has gone awry,” says Fink. In fact, Fink’s very first procedure during residency turned out to be directly related to her undergraduate research. It was a patient with joint pain.

“I tapped the patient’s left knee, and believe it or not, when I looked under the microscope, there were negatively birefringent crystals—uric acid crystals! He had gout! It was ironic that my research during college focused on the underlying pathological basis of his ailment,” she says.

The work Fink did in Dr. Swift’s lab has played a crucial role in developing her skills as an experimental scientist—an important fundamental characteristic of a good doctor.

“In Dr. Swift’s lab, I learned to investigate every step of the experiment,” she says. “Medicine is so much more than just memorizing a list of typical signs and symptoms that accompany diseases. Often, a patient does not perfectly fit a typical diagnosis that you learn about during medical school. Or, when you evaluate a patient, you might realize that they have a diagnosis that is not quite right.”

Fink has also found that the analytical skills she gained by researching uric acid crystals in Dr. Swift’s lab have prepared her to approach her work in a hospital environment in a unique way.

“Dr. Swift continually challenged me to be creative and initiate new experiments to better understand uric acid growth at the molecular level,” she says. “Whether I’m conducting research in the organic chemistry lab, or admitting patients on the medicine and pediatric floors in the hospital, Dr. Swift’s guidance has taught me to challenge myself to truly think through my decisions and plans on a daily basis.”

During her time at Georgetown, Fink was a high achiever. She earned the Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Fellowship, Barry M. Goldwater National Scholarship, and the Chemistry Department Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Research in Chemistry. Fink was also honored as a Health Studies Scholar, recognized as a USA Today All Star College Academic First Team, and is a part of the National Jesuit Honor Society. Fink co-authored and published three papers with Dr. Swift and other colleagues: “Dyeing Uric Acid Crystals with Methylene Blue” for the Journal of the American Chemistry Society in 2002 (with Dr. Swift and Dr. Ryan Sours); “Uric Acid Crystallization in the Presence of Fluorescent Dye Probes” for Chemistry Materials in 2003 (again, with Dr. Swift and Dr. Sours); and “Uric Acid Dye Inclusion Crystals” for Molecular Crystals and Liquid Crystals in 2005 (with Dr. Swift, Dr. Sours, and Kristin Cox). At the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Fink is an Internal Medicine and Pediatrics resident, and she plans to continue working with children and adults after she finishes focusing on both primary care and public health.

“While presenting a patient at Grand Rounds last month, I reflected back upon my Georgetown undergraduate research experience, and I realized that my collaboration with Dr. Swift has enabled me to be an excellent researcher, investigator and presenter,” says Fink. “Dr. Swift has been and continues to be an amazing role model for me. Since I graduated from Georgetown, she has received tenure and has also has a new baby! Not only is she inspiring as an excellent scientist and dedicated teacher, she is also a great mom. Careers in science and medicine are really demanding, and it’s nice to have someone to look up to who has managed to do it all.”

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