Gerald Chang Email & Phone Number

Miami, Florida, United States

I acted as a research assistant for Dr. Enze Sun, a postdoctoral associate in the lab of Dr. Michal Toborek. His major research interest has been studying and understanding the stability of the blood-brain barrier and its mechanisms, and while I was his assistant, this interest was extended to how the barrier is affected by the chronic and longstanding effects of opioids such as morphine and oxycodone. My responsibilities and duties throughout involved helping in the successful elaboration of his models and experiment, which includes managing the mouse specimens to be used as subjects. This involved ensuring adequate access to food and water for the mice in each cage, replacing mouse cages and cage materials when necessary to maintain cleanliness, weighing the mice in order to appropriately allocate the mice amongst different cages, making routine checkups on the health of the mice while making notes in regards to instances like pregnancies or severe injuries caused by potential fights between mice, and then injecting experimental mouse groups with proper doses of the opioids. Some of the mouse subjects were also previously infected with EcoHIV, a mimic of human HIV engineered for mouse models. I also performed surgical procedures on the drugged mice, such as inducing ischemic stroke in the mice through the middle cerebral artery occlusion method and performing IACUC-appropriate sacrifices/euthanasia through isoflurane overdose to extract organ samples. These organ samples included the left and right brain hemispheres, the spleen, and blood samples. I was also involved in other procedures, such as using proper pipetting techniques to create new solutions like ethyl alcohol and phosphate buffered saline, using fume hoods for emptying and replenishing Petri dish and cell colony solutions, and using methods like centrifugation and gravity filtration to isolate and investigate cell cultures or extracted mouse organs.

Miami, Florida, United States

My position was a front desk student worker at the Camner Academic Resource Center at the University of Miami, which provides tutoring, disability, and learning skills services for university students. My responsibilities included assisting the main receptionist and office secretary in answering questions and phone calls, keeping track of and checking in students and tutors for tutoring and testing appointments, cleaning tutoring desks and restocking academic equipment, maintaining lockers where students would leave their belongings during tests, keeping inventory of food and drinks, and walking across to different buildings and departments around the university campus to either pick up new tests from professors for student accommodations or drop off student-completed tests to the professors for them to grade. The employment experience has allowed me to foster my interpersonal communication skills when interacting with guests, fellow student workers, and the office staff in a cooperative and positive manner. It has allowed me to work effectively and efficiently in both an individual and teamwork environment, while also becoming acquainted with the office setting and how all the elements and departments within an office work together and interact.

Doctor Of Medicine - Md, Medicine

Activities and Societies: Family Medicine Interest Group, Pediatric Interest Group

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Biochemistry And Molecular Biology, Summa Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Phi Beta Kappa

High School Diploma

Activities and Societies: National Honor Society, National Music Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, National Science Honor Society, National.