Showcase

During their teenage years, adolescents spend more time interacting with their peers as compared to any other developmental period. Peer influence has a great impact on the mental health of adolescents. Adverse experiences during this developmental p ... eriod can lead to an increased risk in mental health and addiction. Furthermore, females are more susceptible to anxiety and depression disorders as compared to their male counterparts. Rejections from peers may be a bigger stressor in females than males. The Lukkes Lab investigates what is the impact of restricted peer access (RPA) on anxiety-like and depressive-like behavior, and are the effects sex dependent? Read more

This internship site focuses on the role of the oncogene mdm2 in tumor growth. Changes in mdm2 expression can affect the expression of genes like p53, influencing how quickly a tumor grows or whether it grows at all. To induce changes in the mdm2 gen ... e, tagged proteins and plasmids made out of bacterial DNA are utilized in various cell lines. The first half of this project revolves around creating a plasmid using fly DNA, which was unsuccessful but enlightening. The second half of this project concentrates on GST-tagged p63, a tumor suppressor within the p53 family, which has been successful thus far. Read more

My project examines the factors and barriers faced by the Latino community that shape decisions to participate in research, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. This work is important because Latinos are significantly underrepresen ... ted in healthcare, with 48% reporting less access to quality care, 44% facing language and cultural barriers, and 53% attributing disparities to working in high-risk jobs (Pew Research Center). Additionally, approximately 18.5% of U.S. residents are Latinx, with nearly one-third experiencing limited English proficiency (LEP), which can lead to mistrust and dissatisfaction with care. These barriers prevent individuals from seeking basic medical care and discourage participation in research. Professional interpretation services and culturally responsive care are essential to building trust and improving healthcare experiences. Throughout my internship, I have been gathering and analyzing information related to these participation trends, including cultural beliefs, fears of exploitation, limited health literacy, and previous negative experiences with the healthcare system. I have focused on identifying barriers such as language access, financial constraints, and the perceived lack of community benefits from participating in research. The goal is to develop better recruitment strategies that address these concerns, build trust within Latino communities, and ensure they are included in biomedical research. By expanding outreach efforts and providing clear, culturally appropriate information, we can work toward more inclusive research practices that benefit all populations equitably. Read more

This project explores how adenosine influences the movement of uterine muscles in mice, which plays a crucial role in reproductive health. By analyzing spontaneous contractions in uterine tissue, we aim to understand how hormonal changes and external ... factors impact motility, potentially offering insights into fertility, pregnancy complications, and conditions like endometriosis. Our research involves observing uterine movements under different conditions, using specialized imaging techniques and MATLAB-based motion tracking to quantify changes in uterine smooth muscle contractions. We investigate the potential therapeutic implications of adenosine in modulating uterine activity, which could aid in developing treatments for uterine dysfunctions or infertility-related disorders. By combining experimental research with computational analysis, we provide a more comprehensive understanding of uterine physiology. Read more

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a common and aggressive cancer that affects areas that are important for speech, swallowing, and breathing. While treatments like surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy exist, patients still face high ri ... sks of relapse and metastasis. Immunotherapy has shown promise, but only some patients respond well to it. Our research focuses on a protein called ICAM-1, which is usually found in immune cells and is also highly present in HNSCC tumors. We discovered that tumors with high ICAM-1 levels respond better to certain immunotherapies, while others are less effective. This suggests that ICAM-1 plays a complicated role in how tumors interact with the immune system. By studying how ICAM-1 affects tumor growth, immune response, and treatment outcomes, we aim to find new ways to improve therapies for HNSCC. Our goal is to develop more personalized and effective treatments that can help patients with this challenging disease. Read more

My internship explores shared decision-making in women's health alongside health disparities amongst different populations, facilitating the cycle of health systems research and applying it to a system such as IU Health. Working as an intern in the D ... the Department of Pediatrics with IU School of Medicine, I have completed several projects including data analysis and interpretation as well as transcribing interviews which both focus around pregnancy. The data analysis focused on pre-test and post-test results, responses to animations about pre-term decision making in relation to knowledge scores, and demographics in relation to knowledge scores. My project that will be showcased works with the GOALS (getting optimal alignment for life support) Clinical Trial. My work includes writing data and transferring data from RedCap as well as cleaning and managing data through Excel. This is a vital role as it aids the research assistants in maintaining randomization. More specifically, I ensure that all data inputted on RedCap matches the patient's response in the audio recording. While doing so, I learn more about the patients' varying pregnancy experiences, including the different choices each patient is more inclined to make regarding possible early delivery of their child. Read more

Fractures that do not heal without medical intervention and have impaired union can lead to disabilities and mobility issues in patients. This can add to an economic burden of several million dollars annually. Patient's quality of life is also affect ... ffected due to reduced mobility and pain. Another major concern is the use of opioids in treating the pain associated with fractures. Due to their addictive nature, opioids have caused problems in patients needing long term pain relief. Kacena lab investigates potential therapies to address the impaired fracture healing due to advanced age, underlying conditions such as Alzheimer's disease and obesity, and alleviate the associated pain with non-opioid alternatives. Kacena lab uses pre-clinical mouse models to study these objectives. My role in the lab was to participate in mouse fracture surgeries, x-ray imaging of the fractured femurs, and help with the treatments to induce mutations in study mice. My time in Kacena lab has helped me understand how a research lab works. I have begun to appreciate the process of translational research where the bench-side research eventually leads to bed-side medicine to benefit the patients. Read more

This project involves editing, recording, uploading, and emailing residents about the scripts they will be using for the podcast. There is also taking the initiative of how many episodes will be uploaded monthly and the posts uploaded on all their so ... cial media platforms. It involves a pediatric podcast for parents of children who have ordinary questions about their child's health. This information and advice gives parents and others who are wanting to learn and understand what is happening from their child's perspective and how they can help them. Read more

Through interning at the team-based Comprehensive Pain Assessment Clinic (CoPAC), I was able to come up with a project based on creating resources for the clinic, specifically for those in need of housing due to reasons perhaps centering around subst ... ance use. I created a portfolio of information sheets including resources for different Sober Living and Recovery Transition Homes. Additionally, I compiled a comprehensive table of these resources to create a more general and convenient option as well. The general table and the in-depth information sheets specifically act as a helpful resource for individuals after incarceration, being homeless, losing their living quarters, and more. This list and the documents will be utilized by patients and individuals in the team specialty clinics, as well as throughout the IU Health - Central Indianapolis primary care clinics as a resource for practitioners to provide to their patients. Read more

Plasmodium infections led to an estimated 228 million cases of malaria and 405,000 deaths in 2018 (World Health Organization, 2019). Gut microbiota can influence the severity of malaria. Certain species, e.g., B. fragilis, B. caccae, B. uniformis, an ... d B. ovatus, have been associated with susceptibility to severe malaria. These bacteria are found more in the guts of the patients with severe malarial anemia than in asymptomatic infection. The influence does not concern individual presence but on the interaction of a population of microorganisms. This suggests that gut microbiota composition plays a significant role to be involved in malaria outcome determination. Targeting the gut microbiome could be a new means of guarding against life-threatening malaria, especially with the rise in resistance to traditional treatments and vaccine efficacy. While some bacterial species are typically considered beneficial for immunity and digestion, their contribution to aggravating malaria reflects the fascinating intricacy of host-microbe interactions. Understanding how these bacteria worsen the disease could provide a window into new approaches for preventing malaria severity by altering gut microbial composition. Changing the gut microbiome could help prevent severe malaria. This is important as resistance to drugs and vaccines grows. We used a mouse model of SMA to investigate the role of bacterial invasion after intestinal barrier breach after malaria infection. To evaluate the presence of bacteria, we used bacterial primers in the spleen of infected and uninfected mice and subjected to qPCR. Our results confirm that bacteria invasion is important and can contribute to disease severity in mice. Read more