Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States; however, many people do not have access to a cardiologist for regular checkups, leading to delayed treatment and poorer outcomes. Korion Health bridges that gap by providing a tool for patients to record and understand their own heart sounds at home. There are several components to this project: (1) production of the affordable electronic stethoscopes for mass distribution, (2) building the machine-learning model to detect heart dysfunction, and (3) connecting with patients and making an impact. Our diverse team includes medical students, machine learning and computer science students, and global health partners, united by a commitment to making a positive impact on the world. Our dream is that, through producing an accessible, widespread wellness tool, Korion Health will reduce overall healthcare costs, improve outcomes, and empower patients. This is just the start of our journey!

I am currently a third-year student in the joint MD/PhD training program between the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. I am planning to do my PhD in Computational Biology working in Vaughn Cooper's lab on custom-engineered bacteriophages to treat antibiotic resistant infections in cystic fibrosis, specifically Burkholderia infections.

I joined the Singh lab after reading a paper from their lab showing that bacterial infection persists even after protein modulator therapies, indicating that stem cell therapy would not be enough to cure CF in those with chronic infections. Here, I have developed expertise in bacterial cell culture, phenotyping, and antibiotic testing methods. I studied mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and bacterial persistence in Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

I'm currently working on multiple projects at the intersection of immunology, cell culture, statistics, and cell biology, all aimed at making stem cell therapy a clinical reality for CF patients. My responsibilities include overseeing the projects and designing experiments to expand our knowledge of how lung stem cells work and how they can be used in clinical applications. I've gained extensive tissue culture and molecular biology knowledge in my five years here, including but not limited to: - Human tissue culture and sterile technique, bacterial transformation, - RNA and protein extraction, - RT(reverse transcriptase)-PCR, - qRT(real-time)-PCR, - western blotting, - plasmid digest, - transfection of cells, - bronchosphere and alveolosphere growth in matrigel, - immunostaining, - CRC (conditionally reprogrammed cells) method of tissue culture to induce stemness, - flow cytometry staining, - confocal and fluorescence imaging, and - chemotaxis assays. I work full time over the summers and work for independent study credit over the school year. Even though I am still an undergrad, I am an independent researcher and responsible for the original ideas, experimental design, and execution of my projects.

As an RA at Duke University, my job is to keep the members of the Duke community safe, both physically and mentally. RAs at Duke undergo extensive training on mental health awareness, potential threats to student safety and how to handle them, how to handle and overcome marginalization of minority communities, and how to build a community within a residence hall. I take on call shifts overnight every other week, during which I deal with everything from lock-outs, mediating roommate disputes, alcohol poisoning, facilities malfunctions, to mental stress, among others. A few times every month I organize community building activities, such as art on the lawn, paintballing with faculty members, movie nights, and community dinners, among others.

Cure Finders for Cystic Fibrosis (CF4CF) is the cystic fibrosis awareness club at Duke. We help connect interested students to cystic fibrosis research on campus and also partner with the local Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Chapter to organize fundraising campaigns to raise money for cystic fibrosis research.

The Duke chapter of the American Society for Microbiology (Duke ASM) is committed to promoting excellence and professionalism in scientific research for undergraduate students. Our mission is to (1) develop student interests in the field of basic, biomedical, and life sciences, (2) facilitate the exchange of scientific knowledge of microbiology and related subjects via professional seminars, faculty dinners, journal club, and social outings, and (3) equip Duke students with practical scientific research-related knowledge and problem-solving skills through annual Lab Techniques and Publication Workshops. As President, it is my job to oversee operations, meet with advisors, support the project managers, and guide the organization to success.