Max Messinger

2020 Medical Student Research Day Winner

Max Messinger

Max Messinger

Class of 2024 

T2 Translational Science Research Award


Rural Population at Risk of Delayed Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction in North Carolina

We investigated the potential for adverse outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction in rural populations due to their distance from a PCI-capable hospital. This research aimed to inform local EMS agencies about the potential utility of pre-hospital fibrinolytic therapy.


  • What inspires you to do research?
    My hope is to use research to improve care to the populations that are left behind in our healthcare system, especially people of color, rural populations, and those without access to affordable care.
  • Where do you hope to do your residency and why?
    As a first-year student, I'm honestly not even sure what specialty I'll find myself in, much less where. But wherever it is, I hope it is an institution that values healthcare equity as much as excellence.
  • Tell us a fun fact about yourself.
    Before coming to medical school, I got a master's degree in ecology and spent seven years using drones and satellites to study the forests of South America.