Written by Abigail Hii, BA, MA, MD candidate, University College Dublin in Ireland and Dean’s Scholar in the 2024 Institute for Public Health Summer Research Program
Before arriving at WashU, my idea of a beautiful campus was the 330 acres I had come to know and love at University College Dublin (UCD), in Ireland. Over the past year it had become my home, and I had no idea what to expect when I joined the Public and Global Health Track and decided to fly to St. Louis for the summer.
My first week was a whirlwind, where I jumped into lectures with members of both the Public Health and RADIANCE tracks. Although daunting at first, I adjusted quickly to life here due to the warmth, kindness and enthusiasm of everyone in my program. The talks were incredibly interesting and I learned a great deal from our professors, who educated us on the complexities of health disparities, their interconnectedness and the subsequent issues that policymakers face when working to mitigate them. The education I have received on the social determinants of health, and the importance prevention has over treatment alone, are lessons I will undoubtedly carry with me along my journey to becoming a doctor.
Since then, I have begun my project at the Stallings Laboratory, where I hold the greatest honour of working with Professor Christina L. Stallings, PhD and her team, in particular Reilly Woodson and Sam McKee. Coming in with no prior research experience, again my nerves rapidly subsided due to my wonderful mentors, their endless patience and continuous support. My project is titled ‘Developing New Ways to Treat Mycobacterial Infections’. So far as part of my project, I have been taught how to run my own experiments and test out the efficacy of different compounds in inhibiting bacterial growth. It is a work I find fascinating, where I can visually see the results each day, documenting it in a lab notebook and discussing it freely with the team.
I am truly in awe of how much I have been taught in this short time. Moreover, I have the pleasure of waking up every morning excited to work on this project, understanding that this research can eventually be used towards the development of new treatments against a variety of infectious diseases. I have had the privilege of meeting and working with some of the most intelligent, passionate and warm-hearted people since being here, while also being situated on one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen. St. Louis itself is rich with culture; the art galleries and museums are all free, and the metro pass provided to us by WashU allows me the opportunity to travel anywhere I like around the city. Danforth Campus gives you the feeling of walking around a castle, where the view from Brookings Hall at sunset is unlike any other. Although I have only been here a short while, my time at WashU so far is something I have already marked as unforgettable.