Michelle (she/her/hers) is a senior in the honors program pursuing a double major in Molecular & Cell Biology and Community Health on the pre-medical track. On campus, she is vice president of UConn’s genetic engineering club, iGEM, and a volunteer for UConn Health Leaders, an organization that aids in bridging health disparities in the state of Connecticut. Outside of school, she enjoys working as a CNA, hiking, and visiting the national parks.
The summer after her freshman year, Michelle was part of the Health Research Program where she became involved in Dr. Dealy’s lab at UConn Health. Here, her research project focused on cartilage repair approaches for individuals with joint injury that are at risk for developing osteoarthritis, a painful degenerative disease of the cartilage. She presented her findings at Frontiers and has published her work in a scientific journal. During Summer 2021, Michelle was granted a SURF Award to pursue an independent project under the supervision of Dr. Dealy. She received the University Scholar designation where her project is analyzing a group of molecules that may have the ability to activate self-repair by cartilage cells.
During Summer 2022, Michelle was an intern at the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, there her research focused on breast cancer proteomics. Michelle is passionate about biomedical research with clinical applications because the results have the opportunity to directly affect human health.
Research has been an integral part of Michelle’s undergraduate experience and she encourages individuals of all disciplines and backgrounds to consider getting involved. If you have any questions about finding research opportunities, presenting research, or the pre-medical track, she would love to hear from you!
Student Research Blog Posts by Michelle