Showcase

This project involves investigating treatment options for behavioral challenges among individuals diagnosed with Down syndrome (DS) through a comprehensive review of existing literature. Within the scope of my internship, we concentrate on the examin ... ation of disruptive aggressive behaviors as part of the Down Syndrome Rapid Review. Utilizing the COVIDANCE platform, we systematically screen articles, conduct thorough full-text assessments, and extract information for analysis. The selected articles have various screening processes, and data extraction has been carried out. These data are being analyzed to address key research inquiries, review references, and assess the implications drawn from the findings. Notably, the extracted articles predominantly comprise case studies detailing interventions tailored to address specific behavioral issues, including aggression, noncompliance, tantrums, and property destruction among individuals with DS. The selection of this topic stems from the limited availability of literature addressing behavioral interventions in the DS population, highlighting the significance of sourcing and analyzing pertinent data to inform a comprehensive scoping review. Read more

I intern at the IU Simon Cancer Center, At my internship site, we work as nurses to support procedures like blood draws, vital signs, infusions, and various medical procedures while guaranteeing patient safety to help researchers in their efforts to ... develop healthcare. The motivation behind this effort is the trust that such research would result in more efficient treatments and improvements to the healthcare system. Our main focus is on collecting and handling data for safe medical research. One interesting study going on onsite is the Audacity study. Which has more than 550 participants and is ongoing globally. The Audacity study primarily targets those who suffer from unhealthy excess body fat. The significance of our research is demonstrated by our patient's participation in certain studies, which reveal their last hope following failed attempts at traditional treatments. Read more

My project will be a slideshow. I am studying whether psychosis symptoms lead to crime by measuring if criminal activity decreases post treatment.

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth within medical practices was steadily growing, but not as widely adopted into mainstream healthcare as it is today. The pandemic accelerated the adoption of telehealth services, pushing both healthc ... are providers and patients to embrace virtual consultations and remote medical care at an unprecedented rate. With this increase in virtual consultations and remote care comes the question of it impact on social determinants within pediatric patients, more specifically, within the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplant at Riley Children’s Hospital at Riley Children’s Hospital. Pediatric patients receiving care in hematology and oncology department face significant challenges related to social determinants of health. However, telehealth has the potential to mitigate the impact of social determinants of health on pediatric patients and their families. However, in populations of varying social determinants, it is uncertain that everyone will be impacted in the same way due to telehealth. As such, it cannot completely guarantee that all populations will experience these wide range of benefits from the use of telehealth. This leads to the purpose of this project: to understand the effects of telehealth on social determinants of health among children with chronic mental illnesses. Read more

Adverse experiences during childhood and adolescence, especially adolescent social isolation (ASI) or disrupted peer interactions, are a major risk factor in the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs) later in life. During adolescence, individua ... ls mature emotionally, learn proper social behaviors, and develop coping skills for stressful settings. Therefore, the presence of ASI is a significant factor to consider when researching the development of AUDs in animal models. Despite understanding that these experiences during vulnerable periods of development increase risk for AUDs, the neural mechanisms through which ASI increases the risk to develop compulsive drinking remain poorly understood. Currently, the Lukkes lab utilizes an ASI paradigm that socially isolates animals from early to mid-adolescence followed by re-socialization (ASIR). The Lukkes lab has seen that ASIR during a critical period of adolescence exacerbates alcohol drinking and leads to greater aversion-resistant drinking during adulthood in both male and female rats, relative to animals that have been group-housed. This project’s significance lies in understanding the impact of disrupted social interactions during adolescence, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic. By unraveling the neural signatures of ASI and alcohol exposure history, this research informs preventive strategies and interventions for adolescents at risk of developing AUDs. Read more

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a genetical red blood disorders due to defective hemoglobin. Although there is no cure for Sickle Cell Disease, patients living with SCD are treated through pain medication, blood transfusions, and other medications. Pati ... ents living with SCD deal with physical and emotional problems that medical providers look to aid for. In this internship, we examine measurements to improve quality of care for Adolescent patients with SCD. Through telehealth care and examining financial, educational, and physical aspects of patients, interns help improve access for patients. Read more

The goal of the Komen Tissue Bank and Biospecimen Collection and Banking Core is to help accelerate cancer research through the collection of biospecimen and clinical data. We are dedicated to facilitating science to identify new ways to prevent, dia ... gnose, and treat cancer through collaboration with our community, patients, providers and scientists. As a result, we hope to advance cancer research and ultimately, find a cure. Read more

Parasites of the genus Plasmodium are responsible for causing malaria, the deadliest mosquito-borne parasitic disease in the world. Due to increasing concerns of drug resistance in these parasites, new targets for anti-malarial compounds are in high ... demand. I am helping to investigate an uncharacterized protein in P. falciparum called PfAnchor that is essential for parasite replication. When PfAnchor is absent, parasites cannot emerge from red blood cells after cytokinesis, leading to non-invasive clusters of parasites. We found that PfAnchor interacts with PfDyn2, a protein crucial for organelle fission in related organisms. I wanted to characterize this interaction, so I used CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technology to introduce protein tags for PfDyn2 into PfAnchor tagged parasites. This process involved designing and building CRISPR-Cas9 plasmids with the PfDyn2 gene and associated tags, purifying plasmid DNA from bacterial cultures, and transfecting P. falciparum parasites with this plasmid. The transgenic parasites can then be collected for advanced ultrastructure expansion microscopy to visualize and compare PfDyn2 localization in the presence and absence of PfAnchor. This work will enhance our understanding of organelle fission and will lead to new targets for anti-malarial drugs. Read more

In this internship, I work with Dr. Reinoso, her fellow pediatricians, and my internship partner to learn more about how diaper insecurity affects families with young children. We use surveys to understand the depth of their needs, and provide free d ... iapers, while also working to connect the families to further services such as housing and food assistance. Our goal is to offer holistic support, addressing immediate concerns like diapers while also helping with broader needs. Another facet of our program is working to understand the impact of diaper insecurity on mental health and parenting confidence. Throughout our work in data collection and patient connection, we use our findings to continue earning funding for the program in order to be able to reach more patients in the future. Read more

Approximately 5% of people with Alzheimer's Disease will present symptoms before the age of 65. The LEADS (Longitudinal Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease Study) conducts critical research in participants with Early-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (EOAD), whi ... ch is significantly understudied compared to Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD). This study has 20 sites across the United States that are essential in understanding critical differences between EOAD, LOAD, and Cognitively Normal participants. Neurodegeneration of the brain occurs differently in each situation, and studying the differences is essential to establishing proper therapies and treatments for Alzheimer's Disease. One main way to study this disease is through cognitive testing. There are many different forms of cognitive testing that target deficits in language, attention, memory, vision, understanding, and more. Through this internship, my overall understanding of neurodegenerative cognitive testing grew significantly. I also developed many transferable skills that I can incorporate into my future career endeavors. Read more