As a member of the research team in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Lab at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, I’m continuing the research of two previous UC's coolest co-ops winners. My lab’s focus is perfecting a surgical technique to perform fetal heart surgery for the correction of congenital heart defects while the baby is still in the womb. The hope is to correct the problem before the child is born, in an attempt to reduce the number of future heart surgeries or the need for a transplant. Our research is conducted using a pregnant sheep model, and as a coop I have had the opportunity to act as a surgical assistant and participate in the surgeries, as well as take care of the sheep on a daily basis. This is great for me as a pre-med student and someone who is pursuing a career in surgery. Aside from surgery, I have had the opportunity to perform several other experiments and pen a few papers with a chance of future publication. My coop thus far has been amazing. As I continue with my work, I will have the opportunity to write and publish more about my research with the possibility of presenting the data at national conferences. Along with the lab work, I also have the opportunity to experience the clinical side of things at the hospital by attending teaching rounds with the medical interns and residents and observing real patient surgeries. Definitely a cool co-op and the best experience a pre-med biomedical engineering student could hope for.