I am currently assisting Dr. Frankenfeld of the Global and
Community Health department, with ongoing research into the Microbiome. The
microbiome is defined as the community of bacteria that reside within each
person’s biological system. This research is currently investigating the
consequence of nutrition and its effect on the microbiome. This is significant
because research has shown that the health of a person’s microbiome directly
correlates to or has impact on the overall health of that person. Our
particular topic is studying the diet of those individuals from south/southeast
regions in Asia, and its affect on their overall health. Participants of the
study submit questionnaires about their diet and where they have lived, as well
as a fecal sample, which are then analyzed in order to directly map out the
different populations of bacteria in each individual’s system. The future could
hold this as a standard biological blueprint, speaking to the uniqueness of
each individual.
On a weekly basis, I enter data into a database known as
NSDR, based on the responses recorded on the questionnaires that participants
fill out. I am also in charge of scheduling and conducting interviews for
research participants who volunteer to be a part of the study, as well as
dropping off samples. I am also being introduced to the techniques of data
analysis using STATA.
This relates to my long term goals because investigation of
the microbiome is something within the realm of biochemistry, my concentration.
There is still a large gap between what we know and what we understand about
this particular topic that is only beginning to be breached. This is something
that I would be very interested in pursuing and my current responsibilities
through OSCAR have allowed me to catch a glimpse of what current research on
this topic could look like, and it’s very exciting.
