Tommy Wu<\/strong>, a Biophysics major, will undertake the project \u201cLeveraging Geometric Deep Learning to Detect Conformational Molecular Mimicry in Autoimmune Diseases.\u201d Over the next two years, he will be developing a tool to find similarities between the surfaces of different proteins, and to thereby identify instances of molecular mimicry, which is known to cause malfunction in the immune system. <\/p>\n\n\n\nTommy\u2019s interest in this research has grown and evolved over his time at Hopkins. He shared that when he first arrived on campus, his desire to participate in scientific research was purely about the pursuit of knowledge: he loved going into the unknown and making new discoveries through problem-solving. But has he got involved in community-oriented work in Baltimore, he recognized more systemic issues in our society, and he came to came to see research as a means of addressing these issues: to design better interventions and therapies that can impact whole communities of people, rather than just individuals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAutoimmune diseases are very prevalent, and treatment is expensive,\u201d Tommy shared in his fellowship interview. \u201cThe average hospital doesn\u2019t have sufficient resources because many [autoimmune diseases] are so rare.\u201d This problem is also personal for Tommy: he has watched family members live with chronic conditions for many years, and has seen the impact on their lives. In trying to understand what causes these illnesses, Tommy learned that molecular mimicry is one of the most common causes of autoimmune disease, and he set out to find a better way to identify it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through the deep learning tool that Tommy is developing with the support of the Larman Lab, he aims to provide a comprehensive map of the molecular mimicry landscape in pathogens. \u201cThis work will ultimately uncover new potential triggers of autoimmune disease and produce concrete hypotheses for experimental testing,\u201d Tommy avers. \u201cIn the long term, these insights may inform the development of more precise diagnostics and targeted therapies for autoimmune conditions.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tommy\u2019s close work with members of the Baltimore community through Hopkins Community Connection (HCC) makes this research all the more meaningful, as it is geared toward the people it will actually affect. “The entire group of students and staff [at HCC] have taught me a lot about what it means to serve a community, to be a support for others.\u201d That posture of collectivity and care came through in Tommy\u2019s application and interview, and made him an excellent candidate for the Ethan M. Posner Fellowship. In addition to serving as the campus coordinator for HCC, Tommy tutors high school and middle school students through Science Olympiad, helping them get involved and interested in science. And he brings that same energy to the Biophysics major at Hopkins, where he serves on the Biophysics Undergraduate Committee, trying to recruit new students to the major and helping current majors feel more connected to each other. He\u2019s currently working on leading a buddy system to pair underclassmen with more experienced Biophysics majors for peer mentorship, support, and bonding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isabelle Li<\/strong>, a double major in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Medicine, Science, & the Humanities,\u00a0will\u00a0complete the project \u201cThreading the Needle: A History of Community-Based Acupuncture in Baltimore.\u201d Through archival research and\u00a0oral history interviews, she will chronicle\u00a0how acupuncture came to Baltimore in the early\u00a01990s, and how its\u00a0early practitioners\u00a0established\u00a0professional and educational standards through\u00a0founding an institute, collaborating with\u00a0the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and\u00a0contributing to acupuncture legislation.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\nIsabelle\u2019s interest in historical research grew out of a desire to understand people’s lived experiences, especially within the health equity landscape. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Isabelle moved to Baltimore, she was surprised to see so many acupuncture clinics here. Having grown up in California, in a predominantly Asian community, she was accustomed to seeing these clinics everywhere. But how did they get to Baltimore, she wondered? And more specifically, how did acupuncture, which is seen as an East Asian practice, get integrated into the fabric of the city? Has it perhaps served a political purpose? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isabelle\u2019s project will allow her to answer these questions not only for herself, but for her community. Looking at the way people fall through the cracks of the US healthcare system and fail to get the treatment they need, Isabelle recognized that this inequity was not accidental. Racial bias exists in medical devices, in study design, in clinical settings. Acupuncture, on the other hand, \u201chas always been a social and political tool for marginalized people who might mistrust mainstream care,\u201d she points out. It offers \u201chealing for the masses.\u201d She is especially interested in how acupuncture has served as an accessible treatment for Baltimoreans living with opioid addiction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In listening to people\u2019s stories, in building a timeline of acupuncture\u2019s arrival and spread in Baltimore, and in mapping the network of practitioners and advocates, Isabelle sees herself embarking on \u201ccare-driven research.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isabelle extends that ethos of care in her work with the American Lung Cancer Screening Initiative, through which she works to combat disease stigma and connect people to life-saving screenings. As a volunteer with City of Refuge, she distributes food care packages in the community and informs people about available services at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. And at the University of Maryland Medical Center, she volunteers in the trauma center and intensive care unit, spending time with patients and talking with them to get their minds off their medical crises. Through all this community-facing work, Isabelle has been inspired to pursue solutions not only through research, but through advocacy: she has composed policy briefs, sat in on legislative sessions, and written to local legislators about a wide range of healthcare issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In so many ways, both Isabelle Li and Tommy Wu have demonstrated a genuine passion for learning about, understanding, and improving our world. The Ethan M. Posner Fellowship will allow them to persist in their good work and magnify their impact. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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