My research: What happens inside the lungs during pneumonia
This summer, I am doing research in the pulmonology department specifically with pneumonia working with Dr. Mizgerd and Dr. Crossland. Over the decades, we have for some reason ignored what happens inside the lungs during pneumonia, and instead focused on the cause of the pneumonia (like the flu, COVID, etc). So, this research project wants to figure out what happens inside the lungs. I am quantifying histological features and immune cell counts, and by knowing more of the details of the host human response to pneumonia, then we can make more targeted medicines for the disease (the medicines part comes much later though). This project puts a lot of fields together, and so I have learned a lot of things this summer, including topics in histology, immunology, and pulmonology. But more importantly, I learned more about what makes a successful team, including some quality time at burger king!
I am a second-year medical student from Atlanta, and a little fun fact about me is that I am scared of squirrels, like very scared.
Read more about the research opportunities for medical students.