{"id":105795,"date":"2025-11-17T13:43:41","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T18:43:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/?p=105795"},"modified":"2025-11-17T13:43:41","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T18:43:41","slug":"gms-spotlight-chelsey-skeete-phd-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/2025\/11\/17\/gms-spotlight-chelsey-skeete-phd-25\/","title":{"rendered":"GMS Spotlight: Chelsey Skeete, PhD ’25"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Chelsey Skeete, PhD ’25<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chelsey Skeete\u2019s passion for science began long before she matriculated into Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine in 2020. <\/span><\/p>\n

Born and raised in Boston, Skeete fondly remembers attending and participating in science fairs throughout the city and gravitating toward science books, even as a young child. As she progressed through school, teachers and mentors encouraged her to pursue extracurricular outreach opportunities that would bolster her interest in scientific research.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was always very passionate about seeking out those opportunities, and that passion for research just grew,\u201d Skeete said. \u201cTo be able to research, to ask questions, to be comfortable not knowing things and to explore in the lab \u2013 and not only that, but to have an impact on the community through your findings \u2013 was very important to me.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That drive was the catalyst for Skeete\u2019s professional journey into STEM, first taking her to Boston College for her bachelor\u2019s degree in biology, and then to BU Graduate Medical Sciences for her PhD. Skeete successfully defended her dissertation in June 2025.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Journey to Boston University<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As an undergraduate student in 2019, Skeete joined the summer cohort of BU\u2019s Summer Training as Research Scholars (STaRS) Program<\/a>. STaRS, an on-site summer research program, offers motivated and academically talented undergraduates an opportunity to work with a faculty mentor on an independent biomedical research project. <\/span><\/p>\n

During her time in STaRS, Skeete performed her research under Lee Quinton, PhD<\/a>, in the Pulmonary Center. After a summer working alongside BU students and mentors, she knew that the BU Medical Campus was where she belonged for the next step of her education.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything was just very collaborative,\u201d Skeete said. \u201cAll the graduate students had these very complex projects, but the campus was set up with all these different cores and labs who were willing to share information and willing to have multi-lab meetings on a weekly basis.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Skeete presented her research in the Gummuluru Lab during the 2025 Inaugural GMS Research Symposium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Skeete applied to the Program in Biomedical Sciences (PiBS)<\/a>, her top-choice PhD program, and matriculated in the Fall of 2020. The PiBS program offers students the unique opportunity to rotate through three different laboratories during their first year before joining a specific department in their second year. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Skeete, her rotations helped solidify her interest in host-pathogen interactions. She rotated in two labs in the Department of Virology, Immunology and Microbiology (VIM)<\/a>, as well as another lab focused on cancer research. <\/span><\/p>\n

She ultimately chose to specialize in VIM and joined the lab of Rahm Gummuluru, PhD<\/a>, professor and vice chair of virology, immunology & microbiology. <\/span><\/p>\n

Multidisciplinary and Collaborative Research<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Skeete\u2019s dissertation research in the Gummuluru Lab focused on the effects of opioids on individuals infected with HIV in the brain. <\/span><\/p>\n

A new project at the time, Skeete\u2019s research studied how this intersection can impact a person from an immunology lens, studying how opioid use with an HIV diagnosis impacts inflammation and leads to different neurocognitive disorders. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Skeete defended her dissertation in June 2025.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cPeople with HIV and who are also using drugs or opioids are often overlooked in our healthcare system,\u201d Skeete said. \u201cThey often have limited resources, and it\u2019s important that we continue to research the best practices and ways to help them.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Skeete\u2019s project was interdisciplinary and gave her the opportunity to collaborate with different labs and cores at the Medical Campus. In particular, she worked closely with the lab of Gustavo Mostoslavsky, MD, PhD<\/a>, in the Center for Regenerative Medicine<\/a> to develop a specific type of brain cell called microglia.\u00a0 While developing the cells was a challenge, Skeete found the process rewarding and enjoyed the chance to connect with scientists across campus. Her research findings highlight how opioid treatment enhances multiple stages of HIV-1 replication and virus-induced inflammation in human brain cells known as microglia. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn science, there is always going to be trial and error,\u201d Skeete said, \u201cThere are going to be times when things don\u2019t work, and you\u2019ll need to adjust and modify. I\u2019m just very grateful for a team that was willing to stick through the process and be able to look and see how we together could improve the overall model until it became a well-established model.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Skeete presented her research at the Society for Neuroscience Conference in Washington, D.C., in 2023. Her work, \u201cMu opioid receptor activation in microglia enhances HIV-1 infection and HIV-infection-induced inflammatory responses<\/a>\u201d was published in Frontiers in Immunology <\/em>in October 2025. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it\u2019s important to gain those wet lab skills and those analytical and critical thinking skills, it\u2019s also important to learn how to communicate your research to broad ranges of audiences,\u201d Skeete said. \u201cI\u2019m very grateful to have had the opportunity to present my work at conferences like the Society for Neuroscience and be able to translate my work from a heavy virology and immunology perspective into a neuroscience community.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Building Community Within and Beyond Research<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Community is key for Skeete, both on and off campus.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

Skeete volunteers with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), where she volunteers with high school students to inspire their passion for STEM through outreach programs. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo me, it\u2019s very important that I stay connected with the community and continue to give back to the community,\u201d Skeete said. \u201cI\u2019m very passionate about outreach and STEM education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Skeete returned to STaRS as a mentor in 2023 and 2024. She is pictured here in 2023 with her mentee, Jessica Bacelar, at the STaRS Poster Symposium.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

During her time in GMS, Skeete served as a student liaison to leadership to advocate for student concerns and brainstorm ideas to improve campus culture and improve community and belonging for all student populations. She also returned to the STaRS program as a mentor in 2023 and 2024, where she guided undergraduate students on their research projects and presentations. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was extremely rewarding to watch their passion for research blossom throughout the program,\u201d Skeete said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Skeete greatly valued the different mentors and support systems she built throughout her academic journey: mentors such as Assistant Professor Hisashi Akiyama, PhD<\/a>, who helped Skeete learn to \u201cthink like a scientist,\u201d as well as her family, friends and church community who continued to guide her through the difficult moments. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey were key in encouraging me along the way, especially when challenges came\u2026 and it seemed like the whole world was against what I was trying to do,\u201d Skeete said. <\/span><\/p>\n

Next Steps in STEM<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Having defended her dissertation, Skeete is ready to move into the next step of her professional career. She has accepted a program manager position with Novartis, where she will manage an outreach program in STEM education. <\/span><\/p>\n

The position marks a full circle moment for Skeete, who was so significantly encouraged by her own participation in outreach programs throughout her journey. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just so important to me that we continue to equip the next generation of scientists to really teach them how to think as scientists and encourage them in their calling within STEM.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

As she prepares to move into her new role, she advises future BU students to \u201cvalue and respect all the people and talent that is around you, and to not be afraid of establishing connections.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Being able to communicate science in an increasingly fragmented world is key to connecting communities and reinforce the significance of scientific research that is being done across the country. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think a very important way for us to move forward is to be able to learn how to communicate the importance of our work, and share your research, not just to your inner science bubble, but to all audiences.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Chelsey Skeete\u2019s passion for science began long before she matriculated into Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine in 2020. Born and raised in Boston, Skeete fondly remembers attending and participating in science fairs throughout the city and gravitating toward science books, even as a young child. As she progressed through school, teachers and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20706,"featured_media":105799,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7164,1535,795,54,7074],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105795"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105795"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105795\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105804,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105795\/revisions\/105804"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/105799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bumc.bu.edu\/gms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}