Undergraduate Institution: University of South Carolina - Beaufort

Research mentor: Christina Cho, PhD (Internal Medicine)
Research topic: 

Background: I was born in Massachusetts, and I’ve moved around a lot, but I’ve felt the most at home in Beaufort, South Carolina. There, I attended the University of South Carolina – Beaufort (USCB) from 2023 to 2026, where I earned my bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, focusing on the intersections of biomedical science, bioethics, and education.

My research career began when I joined the lab of Dr. Ismail Bozkurt in 2022 to 2024 as a virtual medical research assistant, where we investigated the applications of brain-computer interfaces and spine surgery. From 2023 to 2026 at USCB I worked as a research assistant in the lab of Dr. Kimberly B Ritchie where I contributed to multiple projects investigating the microbiology of sharks, sea urchins, algae, and sea turtles.

Through these research experiences, I saw how exploration of fundamental biology could translate into medical advancements. Our work on white sharks and marine algae identified novel sources of antibacterial compounds with inhibition of human pathogens, highlighting the potential of marine organisms as sources of future therapeutics. 

During my undergraduate education, I was selected by the Yale School of Medicine to the Program to Advance Training in Health and Science (PATHS) as a PATHS Scholar. Here, my passion for cancer immunology research bloomed, and I saw a path towards elevating the understanding of reproductive cancers, with the long-term goal of expanding specialized care for intersex patients.

My interest in medicine and my desire to pursue a career as a physician-scientist arose through my experiences as an intersex patient and wanting to improve access to care and understanding of differences of sex development. In the future I will be applying to MD-PhD programs to continue cancer research as a physician-scientist, by bridging the gaps between bench and bedside.

Thank you to the ICARE program and the ACS for providing me with this opportunity to gain hands-on experience in cancer research. I look forward to learning from experiments, peers, and mentors, as I try to develop into the best future physician-scientist I can become. 

In my free time, I enjoy playing chess and pool, writing poetry, dancing, cooking, and spending time with my wife and our two dogs.