Columnist and in-Training Staff Member
University of Illinois College of Medicine
Mariam graduated with a BS in microbiology, immunology, and molecular genetics at the University of California, Los Angeles, where she conducted undergraduate research in B-cell development and lymphomagenesis as well as the neurobiology of stress. In high school, Mariam spent several years studying mechanisms of induced pluripotency in an embryonic stem cell research lab at The Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla. She now studies computational neuroscience and medicine as part of the Medical Scholars Program (MD/PhD) and the Neuroscience Program (NSP) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Outside of research and clinical experiences, Mariam has earned a black belt in Taekwondo and enjoys yoga and San Diego beaches.
Bridging the Gap
Bridging the Gap focuses on the relationship between basic research and medicine, in order to develop an appreciation for the science that underlies the foundations of modern medicine.
When a Guinean woman was riding the bus in Italy, she was verbally harassed by a young Italian girl who was also a passenger on the bus. The girl was screaming and accusing the Guinean woman of having the Ebola virus. Then, the young girl’s relatives proceeded to assault and beat the woman. Although the victim was taken to the hospital, she sustained injuries from the attack. Race alone, rather than symptom presentation or travel …
You are likely aware that several countries in West Africa are battling an Ebola outbreak. To make matters more serious, there have been four confirmed cases of Ebola in the United States and one of these patients has died. Due to the lethality of this virus and its presence on US soil, we find ourselves asking a number of questions: Are we safe? How contagious is it? Is there any chance that I have the …
The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning It’s time to sing your song again. I prayed for Nina Pham yesterday. I prayed a pithy resident’s prayer. The prayer took (give or take) the amount of time that it takes for me to walk from my parking space to the revolving door of my hospital. In a huge tertiary care facility, a resident might have a formidable trek from her car to the revolving …
The understanding within the medical community that treatment protocols employed must have cogent efficacy has led to the development of translational medicine, which focuses on identifying and converting basic science research into therapies and procedures physicians can implement. The applicability of translational medicine, as medicine is a dynamic interdisciplinary field, is ubiquitous and gives researchers and medical providers the opportunity to collaborate on various issues affecting the medical community, including infectious disease protocols. Similar to many …
Contributing Writer
Wayne State University School of Medicine
Laura is in the Class of 2018 at Wayne State University School of Medicine.
