Nasser Yousef came to UCF as an undergraduate biomedical sciences major, unsure if he would pursue a career as a physician or a scientist. Today, as a Ph.D. candidate at the Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, he has dedicated himself to medical research because he says scientific discovery can impact patients worldwide.
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Each fourth-year Ph.D. student and second-year M.D./Ph.D. students required to present research at the symposium, but less senior Ph.D. candidates can be invited if faculty judge their research to be stellar. That was the case of third-year Ph.D. student Eugene Baffoe, who placed second in the competition for a study on new insights into how T-cells protect us against influenza.
In the months leading up to the presentation, graduate students compile their reserch data, create a presentation and write their abstracts. After their presenting, students answer questions from Burnett School faculty, who, in addition to teaching, conduct research in areas including cancer, neurodegenerative and infectious disease.
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His study provides valuable insight into how persistent infection cells resist the immune system, opening the door for future researchers to develop therapeutics.
As he completes his Ph.D., Yousef is working in the lab of Griff Parks, who directs the Burnett School and is a nationally recognized virologist. They are researching the body 麻豆精品 S檚 immune responses to Paramyxoviruses, which are responsible for many diseases in humans and animals, including measles, mumps and respiratory infections
Ph.D. candidate Jonatas Rolando presented his research on how a common drug used to treat leukemia causes harm to the patient 麻豆精品 S檚 heart. He said they prepared him for the next step he 麻豆精品 S檒l face in his career.
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Event Awardees
1st Place: Nasser Yousef | Mentor: Griffith Parks
Topic: Complement-Mediated Lysis Differs Between Parainfluenza Virus Acute Versus Persistently Infected Respiratory Tract Cells
2nd Place: Eugene Baffoe | Mentor: Kai McKinstry
Topic: The absence of direct type I interferon signaling in CD4 T cells responding to Influenza A virus suppresses their Th1 identity independent of STAT1 expression levels.
Audience Choice: Ethan Hass | Mentor: Cristina Fernandez-Valle
Topic: 麻豆精品 S淎 Personalized Medicine Approach to NF2-related Schwannomatosis Drug Repurposing: Targeted Investigations on a Pediatric Paraspinal Schwannoma 麻豆精品 S�
