From a young age, Charlie Speelmon knew she wanted to work in the medical field.

What Speelmon did not expect was to choose a college 15 hours from home, where she would be mentored by faculty in the Oklahoma State University Ferguson College of Agriculture, she said.

Over four years, they would foster a passion for research and provide her with opportunities to integrate that research into her future career.

Now a University of Nebraska Medical Center student, Speelmon, who conducted research in the OSU Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, said she hopes her future career allows her to combine medical research with patient care.

While her experience at OSU propelled her on this path, Speelmon said her journey started 1,050 miles away in her hometown of Miles City, Montana, where she discovered her passion for medicine in middle school.

During high school, Speelmon said she planned to major in microbiology and biochemistry, with the hope of becoming a surgeon.

“I wasn’t planning to do a bunch of research originally,” Speelmon said.

During her senior year of high school, she looked for an undergraduate institution that would best prepare her for medical school.

“I visited Oklahoma State University, and it just really drew me in,” Speelmon said.

Speelmon said she knew OSU’s biochemistry and molecular biology department would provide her with the foundation she needed, giving her the best opportunity to be accepted into medical school.

At OSU, Speelmon participated in the McKnight Scholars Leadership Program and was named a Freshman Research Scholar and a Niblack Research Scholar.

As a Niblack Scholar, Speelmon reconnected with Dr. Yong Cheng, molecular biology assistant professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, whom she met as a Freshman Research Scholar.

Speelmon’s first project in Cheng’s lab examined the interaction between Mycobacterium abscessus and the human body’s immune system.

M. abscessus belongs to a group called non-tuberculous mycobacteria that naturally live in soil and water, Speelmon said. These bacteria can survive inside immune cells instead of being destroyed, she said.

Infections from these bacteria are difficult to treat and can require a variety of antibiotics for long periods of time, Speelmon said.

Researching these bacteria and their impacts is especially important for individuals with compromised immune or respiratory systems, Speelmon added.

By studying the communication and survival of these bacteria inside the body, researchers hope to find new ways to support the human immune system, kill bacteria and treat infections, she added.

Between classes, late at night or during the weekends, Speelmon said she worked in Cheng’s lab making progress toward her project.

“The more time I spent in the lab, the more I realized I had a passion for research,” Speelmon said.

During that time, she grew not only academically — but also professionally, Cheng said.

“She was very motivated,” Cheng said. “I think she had a very clear career goal in mind.”

Working with Cheng as a mentor was an incredible experience, Speelmon said. He was adamant that classes came first and counseled her to think of research as an opportunity instead of a job, she added.

During Speelmon’s four years of research at OSU, she said she recognized the profound impact research can have on society.

“It really just kind of lit a fire under me, and it switched my whole career path,” Speelmon said.

In 2023, she was one of two OSU students named a Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation recipient, which is given to an average of 425 students, with more than 5,000 applications, according to the Goldwater Foundation.

Following the Goldwater program and professional development opportunities like the OSU Cambridge Scholars program and the Burns and Ann Hargis Scholar Development Writers’ Workshop, Speelmon said she began to consider research as a component of her future career.

Speelmon shared her interest in medical school and pursuing research with Cheng and her father, Lance Vermiere, a USDA rangeland ecologist, she said. Within the same week, her father and Chang each recommended she consider a combined medical and research degree.

“When you hear something twice, it really settles with you,” she added.

In 2024, Speelmon started medical school in the dual M.D.-Ph.D. program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

“I really feel that my classes and professors at OSU gave me the base that I needed,” Speelmon said.

After completing two years of lecture-based coursework to prepare her for the United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 board exam, she began the Ph.D. phase of her program in March 2026.

Speelmon will spend the next four years working in an immunology lab studying the immune response to Staphylococcus aureus infections in prosthetic joints, she added.

“I chose Dr. Tammy Kielian’s lab because her work checks all the boxes relevant to my interests: microbiology, immunology, and clinical relevance with a chance to directly impact the lives of patients,” Speelmon said. “And because I could see that she is an excellent mentor.”

Looking ahead, Speelmon said she hopes to build a career that allows her to provide patient care in a clinical setting while continuing to conduct research in the immunology field.

She aims to both understand how diseases function and, ultimately, treat patients, Speelmon added.

“OSU really helped me develop not only the technical and professional skills,” Speelmon said, “but also the interpersonal skills that are needed to succeed in this type of career.”

Story by Josie Correll | Cowboy Journal