William Adu-Jamfi Email and Phone Number

I check in by email and text with Ron Brown college students across the country who are working towards personal career goals. I also learn and promote Ron Brown services to those who need them most and reach out to alumni who wish to advise students. The current project I am working on is the completion of a proposal to support the Ron Brown Scholar Program in achieving its goal for improving support and services for pre-medical students in the Ron Brown Network. After sending out a 30 second survey to pre-meds in the Ron Brown Network to get a perspective on how Ron Brown can better support pre-meds in our Ron Brown network, we have identified the most common barriers and worries that Ron Brown Scholars and Captains have in preparation for medical school, as well as resources they wish they had more of. Based on this, we have developed a three-part solution, which includes a personalized website for pre-meds in the Ron Brown network, connection with MCAT prep companies, and increased funding to cover the costs of the MSAR and conferences such as the AMEC.

The Peer Advisor Program through the Office of African American Affairs (OAAA) is a program to aid Black first year and transfer students with their college transition by providing personalized, sensitive support and counseling. I was appointed Senior Peer Advisor for Academic Support by Dean Kelsie Kelly in April 2023, where I manage the executive committee, provide direct support for the team of Peer Advisors, cultivate a sense of family among all the Peer Advisors, and provide co-curricular support to over 500 first-year and transfer students to facilitate the academic success of Black students. The job of the Academic Support Committee is to provide co-curricular support entering to first-year, transfer students and Peer Advisors, and as Senior Peer Advisor, I oversee the Academic Support co-chairs. I also represent the Program on Grounds, plan large-scale advisor/advisee events and raise the profile of the Program on Grounds. I am also responsible for planning an Executive Committee Orientation in early August, attending weekly meetings with the Program Director, planning the bi-weekly Executive Committee Meetings, planning and executing the Monthly Program-wide Meetings, and meeting with committee co-chairs and coordinators that report to me as necessary.

I worked with Dr. Ping Hu and Dr. Thomas Barker in the Matrix Biology and Engineering Lab and employed tissue culture to help characterize endogenous cis-acting interim regulators that establish stromal cell programming through aberrant mechanotransduction. I performed tissue culture experiments to analyze integrin signaling in fibroblasts and investigate the impact of natural integrin regulators on stromal cell behavior and cell programming via mechanical signals. I also explored GPI-anchored integrin regulators in fibrotic diseases, studying diverse fibroblast subpopulations and fibrosis pathology.

I utilized UVA’s unique student taught curriculum to collaborate with Dr. Brian Helmke and my fellow BME Clinical Scholars to plan classes that promote open discussion and student growth weekly. I helped introduce 11 first year students to the problem identification and solution ideation process with an emphasis on healthcare disparities. Through this, students gained a better understanding of how to get to the root cause of problems in healthcare and how developed solutions can be geared towards bridging healthcare inequity.

Apart of 70 UVA students chosen to empower their peers to practice holistic health and well-being in a supportive and non-judgmental manner. I helped facilitate dynamic outreach programs, guide confidential patient education sessions, and promote a health and inclusive culture at UVA.

The BME Clinical Scholars Program is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is a program to immerse undergraduates in clinical settings, where they will work to develop biomedical engineering solutions for unmet clinical needs and generate case studies for Biomedical Engineering classrooms. I shadowed my third year medical student mentors on their inpatient internal medicine, pediatrics (newborn nursery, developmental, and gastroenterology), radiology, and OB/Surgery Anesthesia clinical rotations, where I collaborated with professors, peers, and clinicians to identify 12 unmet clinical needs and design a senior capstone project using problem identification.

As one of only 2 students chosen by professor Adrienne Wood to participate in the inaugural Psychology Peer Tutoring Program, I tutored my peers for 2+ hours weekly for students who needed academic support

During my time in the Griffin Lab, I applied biomedical engineering principles to analyze data and images using CellProfiler, as well as make microfluidic devices for 8 hours weekly. I also examined hydrogel pore sizes to enhance tissue integration and regeneration for cartilage, bone, and diabetic wounds.

The 2023 Biomedical Engineering and Informatics Summer Research Experience Internship Program is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). I worked with Dr. Elaheh Rahbar on the project “Quantifying the Cardiovascular Response to Varying Degrees of Hemorrhage for the Establishment of a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) Model.” I had the unique opportunity to delve into the intricate world of cardiovascular analysis and fluid dynamics. My primary focus was on comprehensively investigating the response of the cardiovascular system to varying degrees of hemorrhage within an established swine model. By analyzing changes in crucial parameters such as cardiac output (CO) and pressure-volume (P-V) loops at different hemorrhage levels (10%, 20%, and 30%), I gained valuable insights into the underlying hemodynamic alterations associated with this critical condition. In addition to hands-on experimentation, I honed my computational skills by contributing to the development and refinement of a computational fluid dynamic (CFD) model. Leveraging the power of the Cardiovascular Integrated Modeling and Simulation (CRIMSON) platform, I integrated raw hemodynamic data using Python algorithms to create simulations that accurately reflected real-world scenarios. Through this process, I gained a deeper understanding of how fluid dynamics impact cardiovascular function in the presence of hemorrhage. By participating in this research, I actively contributed to the advancement of our understanding of vascular response to hemorrhagic conditions. This work holds significant implications for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for critically injured patients. The integration of computational techniques and experimental analysis allowed me to bridge the gap between theory and practical application, preparing me for a future in biomedical engineering where innovation and scientific inquiry are crucial.

As a research intern through the UNCF STEM Scholars Program, I created a comprehensive research proposal to compare the cardiac health efficacy of tissue-engineered hearts and human hearts using ECG signals, outlining methodology involving PR interval, QRS complex, QT interval, and heart rate parameters. I presented my final research proposal at the Cullen Lab & UNCF STEM Scholars Summer Internship Final Presentations, which was titled “Comparing the Cardiac Health Efficacy of a Tissue-Engineered Heart to an Average Human Heart Using ECG Signals.” I leveraged my expertise in cardiovascular disease, regenerative medicine, and experimental design to drive advancements in cardiac tissue engineering, highlighting the significance of this research in tackling myocardial infarction and cardiovascular disease.

As one of only 7 Central Virginia Governors School 2020 graduates chosen for this position, I supported predominantly black high school athletes who struggled with the online/asynchronous school system due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Main subjects included chemistry, math (up through Math Analysis), and English

I participated in an immersive shadowing experience with mechanical and electrical engineers to gain valuable insights into their roles and collaborated with an intern partner to meticulously gather and analyze a diverse dataset comprising over 600 collectors.