Throughout my sophomore year I was challenged in new and exciting ways. As expected, my workload increased steadily since freshman year and continues to do so. Beyond neuroscience and pre-med courses, I was fortunate to work in the lab of Courtney DeVries investigating the effects of breast cancer on neuroinflammation and symptoms of the colloquial “chemo-brain.” Spending so much time looking at salient issues at the cellular level from a systems-perspective was both difficult and rewarding; by the end of summer, we hope for our paper to complete the final phase of the publishing process.
After Dr. DeVries left for another university in late February of 2018, I joined the lab of Dr. Meng Welliver, a medical radiation oncologist and Ph.D in oncology. In this lab, we create models of various thoracic cancers in mice and experiment with different doses and combinations of radiation and chemotherapy treatments. I will also volunteer in both Columbus and Cincinnati during the summer in hospitals, in free clinics, and for young athletes.