University: St. Francis College
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
NIH Research Project:
Characterization of Anti-DC-SIGN Antibodies in the Inhibition of DC-SIGN Mediated Transfer of HIV-1
Mentor: Susan Moir, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Immunoregulation
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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I was not fascinated with medicine until my brother was diagnosed with typhoid in Haiti, and my admiration for this field grew tremendously. I am now extremely interested in contributing to the study of HIV, a virus that destroys not only a single life, but has the capacity to destroy a whole generation. Directly, this virus spreads through sexual activities, from mother to infant, and through blood contact, which eventually will result in death. Indirectly, a child losing his or her parents to this disease can be scarred for life, and thus the virus has the potential to psychologically impair that child, ultimately causing further destruction. That is the reason investigating and bringing an end to this deadly virus ought to be a priority for all humanity and is my personal mission in life. I plan to obtain a combined M.D./Ph.D. specializing in HIV/AIDS research. Through volunteering in hospitals and participating in numerous research and health related programs, I have realized that I am well suited for a combined M.D./Ph.D.
I am very fortunate to be a part of the UGSP considering the highly competitive nature of this scholarship. I am training under Dr. Susan Moir in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and my project is to test the capacity of anti-DC-SIGN antibodies to inhibit HIV transmission within the body. Anti-DC-SIGN antibodies block a receptor that HIV binds to before moving to other cells. If the antibodies work as expected, HIV viral loads should be suppressed, a small step towards controlling HIV infection. |
