As an aspiring physician
and educator, research is a fundamental part of my career choice. Research is a
vessel to impact change on a large scale. It is more than performing experiments and
analyzing results. Research allows our world to continue to advance, as the
field of medicine strives to provide the best possible outcomes to the lives of
many every single day.
I believe that
the OSCAR Summer Impact Grant for relevant biomarkers in idiopathic pulmonary
fibrosis has challenged me to explore creative ways to impact the world through
research. In the biology aspect of the research project, I analyzed gene
expression levels of mitochondrial genes in 18 idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
(IPF) patients. The use of mitochondrial copy number as a method to separate patients
in analysis has shown novel findings in cancer research. While many of the
results were puzzling when referring back to the progression of their disease,
it is fulfilling to know these findings may impact a future clinical
intervention.
This project has
created a strong passion in me for precision medicine. There is a vast
knowledge of clinical data available in the form of large data sets. As the
production of these data sets of patients is on the rise, it necessitates new
software available to researchers and clinicians to be able to analyze the
data. My team and I also helped create a tool to analyze large data sets and
output significant information. This will help not only discovery novel
findings in IPF, but will be openly available to any researcher or clinician
working on another disease. While our primary focus is on lung disease, our
contribution to medicine will span to all other diseases as well.
Aside from the
importance of innovative software, it is also important to teach students how
to analyze data. During the course of this summer, I worked to design an
undergraduate course to teach RNA-sequencing. This kind of education is
competitive experience for undergraduates to learn as precision medicine is on
the rise. I am hoping this course will impact the student body at Mason and
cause my fellow undergraduate peers to become excited to utilize their new
skills in the future of clinical care.
I have seen
first-hand the impact that I can create as a student now, and as a
physician-researcher later down the line. There are so many ideas I have
floating through my head, and the OSCAR Summer Impact Grant has solidified the
skills that I need to bring those ideas to fruition.
Presenting at the Virginia Academy of Science (VAS) was an amazing experience! I was able to meet with leading researchers in science ranging from medical sciences to conservation at universities across Virginia. Every year, there is one scholarship given to undergraduate researchers at each Virginia university for a total of 11 scholarships.
I was the recipient of the VAS Marion Lobstein Scholarship exclusive to George Mason University for my research in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in collaboration with INOVA advanced lung disease and transplant program last Fall. After giving my presentation on novel lung tissue isolation at the meeting, I received the award for the top undergraduate poster at the conference. Pictured is Marion Lobstein (donor of the scholarship) and I during my poster presentation.
Presenting at the Virginia Academy of Science (VAS) was an amazing experience! I was able to meet with leading researchers in science ranging from medical sciences to conservation at universities across Virginia. Every year, there is one scholarship given to undergraduate researchers at each Virginia university for a total of 11 scholarships.
I was the recipient of the VAS Marion Lobstein Scholarship exclusive to George Mason University for my research in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in collaboration with INOVA advanced lung disease and transplant program last Fall. After giving my presentation on novel lung tissue isolation at the meeting, I received the award for the top undergraduate poster at the conference. Pictured is Marion Lobstein (donor of the scholarship) and I during my poster presentation.
