A suburban Detroit high school student has a head start in her quest to be a brain surgeon, with help from a cell biologist at Wayne State University's medical school.

Since March, Gayathri Kollipara has been shadowing assistant professor Christian Kreipke as he tests a potential drug treatment for traumatic brain injury.

The Troy High School senior says the range of experiences should help her prepare for the challenges of premedical studies, medical school and a career as a doctor. She says her father's death from lung cancer when she was a sophomore heightened her wish to study medicine.

Kreipke says he's impressed to find a young person with a clear idea of what path she wants to follow.