Jacqueline H
- Research Program Mentor
PhD candidate at Brown University
Expertise
Neuroimmunology, neurodegenerative disease, philosophy of immunology
Bio
As an ecologist and immunologist by training, one of the most important inquiries of modern biomedical science that endlessly fuels my curiosity is how physiological systems influence one another. It is becoming increasingly clear that Investigations of how physiological systems interact are imperative to understanding fundamental mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and is key to unlocking novel targeted therapies. In my current PhD research I am investigating engineered immune stem cells and their function for the purpose of potential cellular immunotherapies for diseases like cancer, trauma, and infection/sepsis. The hope is to understand both how these engineered cells can be used for personalized medicine in addition to how these immune cells function in health. I also investigate the complex relationship between the immune and nervous system. The questions I find most compelling are related to how perturbations to either of these systems contribute to the pathogenesis neurobiological disorders. I am particularly interested in how the innate immune system regulates neuronal function, behavior, memory, and vice versa. My research focus is on the innate immune system's role in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease. My ultimate goal is to better characterize and understand the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis in order to develop better therapies and reduce human suffering. Outside of my research interests, I have a strong passion for building a supportive graduate school community through peer mentorship. Working with students in the Pathobiology program at Brown, we have developed a strong mentorship program dedicated to promoting and improving graduate student well-being. Our mission is to foster supportive relationships with fellow graduate students through community-building activities, regular communication, and personalized mentorship. In recognition of the benefits of maintaining a healthy, engaging academic life for both personal and professional productivity. I also like to collage, read philosophy, anime, and hiking.Project ideas
Perspective Paper
In this project you will review current literature regarding neuroimmunology, neurobiology and behavior, neurodegeneration, or aging, or another field of research if none of the above interest you. You will then search for papers that shifted how the field shifted with a focus on the most current opposed hypothesis and theories. You will then assess the quality of the data, arguments, rationale's and models and make an argument for your own perspective or for one of the others. A perpspective paper is typically not long (8-12 pages), but dense with material and requires a true dedication to reading the materials and a creative mindset to make a case for which hypothesis you deem worthy of further pursuit!
Science Communication Zine, Pamphlet, or prints
This project would involve a skill that most folks struggle with in science: communicating results and their relevance clearly, accurately, succinctly, and most importantly in an engaging manner. While this is helpful for the lay audience, it is also helpful for many researchers because of the increasing value of an ecological perspective in biomedical research, requiring a greater breadth in knowledge. Thus this project would require reading literature relevant to a scientific topic I have knowledge in (immunology, neurobiology, neurodegeneration, behavior, but more could be discussed) or about some aspect of philosophy of science,(some examples would be progress through history, or competing philosophies and how they are now represented in current fields I mentioned above). The project product will be a short zine/pamphlet/poster that will display the information that you find most interesting or crucial for the intended audience with the aesthetics you think would be most fitting for the topic and the most engaging. From this project you will gain skills in presentation of ideas and data which is a very important aspect in science.
Interview a scientist!
We will find a scientist in a field of your choice in academia in a field that you are interested in that I also have expertise in (Neuroimmunology, neurodegeneration, aging, immunology, behavior) and interview them for a podcast/youtube/vimeo etc. educational video. This will include you determining the scientist, reading literature, formulating questions, and conducting/editing the interview to portray to the audience your vision of what information you think is most exciting for the intended audience to learn from this conversation!
If you have any other ideas...
I am open to your own ideas too! Happy to discuss them, the above are projects I would be happy to do, but also you may use them to gain an idea of my interests and skillsets I could provide as a mentor.