Hello and welcome to my page! I graduated from Wellesley in May 2008 with a major in Biological Chemistry and a minor in Economics. My time at Wellesley began in fall 2005, when I transferred here from Grinnell College.  I am passionate about research and, fortunately, research is one of Wellesley's strengths.  I started working in the Tetel lab at the beginning of my first semester at Wellesley. 

In the lab, I used rodent brain tissue to study protein-protein interactions between nuclear steroid receptors and their coregulators, using techniques including pull-down assays and western blotting.  During my senior year, we decided to use mouse tissue in many of our studies, so I worked to convert many of our protocols to work with our new model.  My work on this project fits in with the overall goals of the lab, which are to explore how hormones work in the brain and study hormone-dependent diseases and the link between genes and behavior.

In the spring of my senior year, I received a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship for a year of independent exploration and travel outside the United States.  From July 2008 – July 2009, I will work on my Watson project, “Cleft Lip to Clubfoot: Cultural Constructions of Congenital Anomalies,” which will focus on how culturally-engendered attitudes affect access to medical services that detect and treat birth defects (particularly, cleft lip, spina bifida and clubfoot). This project will take me to Argentina, China, Ghana, India, and Ireland during my year of travel. You can follow the progress of my travels through my blog: The Blue Backpack.

One of my top goals for the future is to become a physician and go into academic medicine, which will allow me to see patients, teach students, and conduct research.  I plan to work to improve healthcare and eliminate health disparities in underserved communities in the U.S. and around the world.

Previous Research:

• Neuroscience Program , Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA
  Research assistant, 2005-present
  Mentor: Marc Tetel, Ph.D.
  “Protein-Protein Interactions between Steroid Receptors and Nuclear Receptor Co-activators from Brain”
  ~ Ovariectomized rats, extracted and purified proteins from specific brain regions from rodents, using tissue homogenization, gel electrophoresis, and Western blots techniques.  Analyzed data with image quantification programs.

  Abstracts:
  Im, D., Yore, M.A., Chadwick, J.G., Tetel, M.J. Steroid receptor coactivator-2 (SRC-2) from rat brain interacts differently with estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor subtypes. The Endocrine Society, 2008.

  Yore, M.A., Im, D., Chadwick, J.G., Tetel, M.J. Steroid receptor coactivator-2 (SRC-2) from female rat hypothalamus and hippocampus interacts differently with the progestin receptor isoforms. Society for Neuroscience, 2007.

  Tetel, M.J., Molenda, H.A., Yore, M.A., Im, D., Chadwick, J.G., Steroid hormone action: From the test tube to the brain. International Congress of Neuroethology, Vancouver, Canada, 2007.

  Tetel, M.J., Yore, M.A., Webb, L.K., Chadwick, J.G., Molenda-Figueira, H.A. Steroid receptor coactivator-2 is expressed in female rat brain and physically interacts with estrogen receptor (ER)α, but not ERβ, in a ligand dependent manner. Society for Neuroscience, 258.9, 2006.

  Honors:
  Thomas J. Watson Foundation fellowship for a year of independent exploration and travel outside the United States.

  Faculty for Undergraduate Neuroscience Award, June 2007; Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant for undergraduate summer research, Summer 2006; Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant for sophomore research, 2005-2006.

• Department of Newborn Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA
  Clinical research assistant, 2006-present
  Principle Investigator: Louis B. Holmes, MD
  Interviewed mothers of newborns with congenital anomalies. Studied  prevalence and risk factors of birth defects, trends in prenatal screening for and detection of congenital anomalies, and personal and group attitudes toward prenatal testing for major malformations.

          Honors:
          Helen Wallace Health Sciences Internship Fund, Summer 2007.

• Center for Advanced Engineering Fibers and Films, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
  National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Intern, May-July 2005
  Mentor: Douglas Hirt, Ph.D.
  “Chemical modification of biodegradable polymers for biomedical applications”
  ~ Synthesized polymer ‘tissue scaffolds’.  Chemically modified scaffolds through UV photo grafting and liquid exposure techniques to make scaffolds biocompatible.  Cultivated and maintained cell cultures.  Seeded cells to scaffolds for observation.  Collected and analyzed data using fluorescent microscopy, ATR-FTIR spectroscopy, tensile and bulk property testing, and Excel statistical features.

          Honors:
          Presented research at the Wellesley Tanner Conference,
          November, 2005.

• Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
  Summer research intern, June-August 2004
  Mentor: Simon Scott, Ph.D.
  “Survey of Blackberry Yellow-vein Virus in the Southeastern United States”
  ~ Collected infected plant samples from natural environment.  Extracted RNA, produced cDNA, performed PCR and gel electrophoresis.  Used spectrophotometry to determine DNA and protein concentrations.  DNA sequencing.  Introduced genes to plant cells using plasmids. 

• Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
  Summer research intern, June-July 2003
  Mentor: James Coleman, Ph.D.
  “Viral-mediated gene transfer of GAD65 and GABA-Aα 1 in the AGS primed rat model”
  ~ Used gene therapy techniques to reduce seizure sensitivity in seizure-prone laboratory rats.  Injected genes to specific brain regions by stereotaxic brain surgery.  Collected and statistically analyzed data from seizure testing before and after surgery.  Performed immunohistochemistry on brain tissue samples.   Analyzed samples with fluorescent microscopy.

          Honors:
          First Place Overall, Greenville County Science and
          Engineering Fair (March 2004); First Place Intel Environment
          and Health Award (March 2004); and Third Place awards in
          both oral and written presentations in Medicine and Health,
          South Carolina Junior Academy of Science (March 2004);
          Participant in the Intel International Science and Engineering
          Fair (ISEF), Portland, OR, May 2004.