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Rachel S

- Research Program Mentor

PhD candidate at Dartmouth College

Expertise

molecular and cellular biology, genetic engineering, pharmacology, disease biology and epidemiology

Bio

My primary research interests focus on how pharmaceuticals, especially cancer treatments, impact disease progression and longterm health outcomes. I had my first research experience as an undergraduate at Tufts University, where I studied the function of chitin-associated genes in c. elegans to determine whether they could be targeted to treat parasitic nematode infections. I quickly fell in love with research, which led me to pursue a PhD. Currently, I am at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center where I am a 4th year PhD candidate. For my doctoral research I am using CRISPR and other gene editing techniques to track the emergence of treatment-resistant cells in acute myeloid leukemia. Outside of research, I spend my time hiking in the Upper Valley and playing with my sister's two mini American shepherds. I am a very dedicated plant mom - I even have a golden pothos plant that has been passed down in my family for three generations! I'm also an artist and try to draw regularly.

Project ideas

Project ideas are meant to help inspire student thinking about their own project. Students are in the driver seat of their research and are free to use any or none of the ideas shared by their mentors.

Case study review looking at the association between a rare salivary gland cancer and prior cancer treatment.

Carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma is a rare and aggressive salivary gland cancer that has been predominantly studied with case reports. There is limited published research on this cancer, but reviewing case studies may uncover important patterns that could help improve detection and treatment. My proposed research project would entail reading published case studies to determine whether there is evidence that carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma could be a secondary malignancy. A secondary malignancy is cancer resulting from prior chemotherapy and/or radiation treatment for a past cancer diagnosis. By finding the proportion of case studies involving patients treated for past malignancies, we can begin to determine whether carcinoma ex pleomorphic adenoma diagnosis is associated with previous cancer treatment. The results will indicate whether this cancer should be investigated as a potential secondary malignancy.

Coding skills

R, Bash, Python

Teaching experience

I have experience in tutoring high school students in math and biology. In addition, I regularly mentor younger graduate students rotating in my graduate thesis lab, teaching them the ropes of molecular biology techniques and good research practices.

Credentials

Work experience

Tufts Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (2018 - 2018)
Summer Research Intern

Education

Tufts University
BS Bachelor of Science (2019)
Biology
Dartmouth College
PhD Doctor of Philosophy candidate
Molecular and Systems Biology

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