First established in 1978, LA BioMed’s Summer Fellowship Program received over 175 applications from high school students for the 2014 program. Only 18 students were selected from across Los Angeles County. FOUR of those students were females from POLAHS!

Seniors Ivie Slaton, Grace Anderson, Raven Johnson, and Lia Lopez (POLAHS ‘14) gained firsthand experience in biomedical research, working alongside accomplished medical scientists throughout the eight-week program. At the Culmination Ceremony in August, the students presented summaries of their research projects before heading off for their freshmen year of college.

Q&A with Ivie, Grace, Raven, and Lia

Why did you decide to apply for the Fellowship? Spring semester of senior year is a very busy time!

Ivie | My loving English teacher, Ms. Clark, was reviewing my personal statements for college. Knowing that I wanted to become a bio-medical major, she forwarded me the UCLA BioMed application - and it was a PERFECT fit! I applied right away.

What research department did you end up working for?

Ivie | I worked under a pediatrician, Dr. Dickson, in the Genetics department. The Mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS)(metabolic disorders) lab was quite amazing. During our clinic days I was able to see how people my age were affected by MPS. It inspired me to work hard.

Lia | I ended up working in the women’s health clinic with Dr. Anita Nelson, and medical student Roshni Kakaiya.

Raven | Though I had initially applied to work in either neuroscience or pediatrics, I was assigned to the cardiology department, and it was an invaluable way to get involved in activities outside of my comfort zone.

Grace | I worked in the psychiatry department with the Department of Mental Health (DMH). I worked closely with my mentor, Astrid Reina, director of the HIV Mental Health Services and the Women's Behavior Health Services department(s).

What type of training did you receive for the job?

Ivie | I received training for everything I did in the lab and was able to use the lab conversions that I learned in Chemistry class.

Raven | I studied the basic anatomy of the heart, specifically the placement and typical behavior of the coronary arteries, and the dynamics of looking at computed tomography (CT) scans using different computer programs.

Grace | As I was in the DMH, I did not receive any lab training, but instead learned data analysis and compression, information extraction, and a large amount of Human Research violation training, that prepared me to work with patients and keep any personal identifiers completely confidential.

Please describe your research project.

Lia | My research project consisted of surveying around 400 women about how they viewed birth control and its effects. I came to the conclusion that many women do not know the efficacy of birth control, which could lead to increased rates of unintended pregnancies.

Raven | The research project I worked on was a study into a new method of measuring calcified plaque. Rather than looking at the overall amount of plaque within the coronary arteries, we took each individual plaque and measured each one's density, size, and position in the arteries.

 

What’s next for you?

Ivie | I’ll be starting my pre-med program within the College of Math and Science at CSU Northridge this fall, studying Microbiology. I’d like to thank my POLAHS scholarship donors, Mr. Mark Martis, Imperial Capital, and South Bay Business Women’s Association, for allowing me to enroll in college and dorm there, too.

Raven | I am heading off to Dartmouth College in a few weeks as a Biomedical Engineering major. I received a generous amount of financial aid from Dartmouth as well as scholarships from Toyota Motor Sales , USA and the Charter & Autonomous School Leadership Academy.

Grace | I am currently attending San Francisco State University. I plan to graduate with honors and attend medical school following my BS degree.

Lia | I will begin my first year at UC Davis as a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Major. I received two college scholarships, one from Exxon and another from The John Gogian Foundation!

What are your career dreams/goals?

Ivie | I applied to college thinking I would become a dentist, but seeing patients and working in the lab changed my whole perspective. I realized that helping people is something I’ve longed for my whole life. I want to become a doctor! One day, I will be Dr. Slaton, alumnus from POLAHS. In the meantime, I’ll continue to serve people in my community and earn top grades.

Raven | I hope to become a pediatric neurologist, a neurosurgeon, a film editor, or a writer. Who knows, maybe I can be all four.

Grace | After my summer at LABiomed I have decided to pursue medical school. Spending eight weeks with exceptionally bright individuals and learning the ropes working in a professional, medical setting has inspired me to become a doctor. Wish me luck!

Lia | My goal is to become a pediatrician and go to underprivileged countries, helping children there. I want to study abroad in different countries, like Ecuador and Germany in order to learn how they treat patients, observe their techniques, and follow their guidance. I also want to help Latinos here in the U.S realize that we can achieve higher goals and that we can be anything we want as long as we have the desire to be successful.

Thank you, ladies!

Read full article on the POLAHS website