Incredible people have spent time at BHC as interns, pre-med students, and clinical research coordinators as a way point in their educational journeys. As a part of our mission, we hire and train upcoming researchers and medical professionals to help be a product of change in the scientific and medical fields surrounding these illnesses. Megan reflects on her time at BHC.  

My name is Megan Hartle and I’m currently a third-year pharmacy student, on track to graduate with a PharmD in 2023 from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. I first got involved with the Bateman Horne Center after my brother was diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in 2018. I reached out to the BHC hoping to get professionally involved in the ME/CFS community. I was very excited to learn more about ME/CFS, but I did not anticipate the impact this internship would have on me, or that I would become published in a year! [Here is a link to the paper, “Dissecting the Nature of Post-Exertional Malaise.”]

Last summer I worked on analyzing post exertional malaise (PEM) in ME/CFS patients. This was a super interesting project where I created a system to screen for PEM more efficiently. Additionally, we noted a lot of important trends with PEM, and how it changes based on how long patients have been ill with ME/CFS. Currently we are working on an expansion of this project, but now the focus is on COVID-19 Long Haulers. We are primarily looking into whether or not they experience PEM and how this compares to ME/CFS patients. This novel COVID-19 Long Hauler study will be submitted to publishers hopefully within the next few months. It is very exciting to be a part of investigating the aftermath from the global pandemic!

Working with the BHC has been an amazing experience. Not only have I learned a lot about ME/CFS, but I’ve also learned so much about how to conduct research and analytics. I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to have worked with the amazing people at the BHC, and the chance to have become published. The skills I’ve learned are going to be used throughout the rest of my career in healthcare. I intend to specialize in ME/CFS treatment and care and will keep being an advocate for patients with ME/CFS- including my brother!

Our work with Megan and others like her are made possible by donations. Help us continue this vital work and donate to BHC.