2008 Class Book - Harvard Medical School

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KEVIN A. SHAPIRO I was born and raised in suburban Los Angeles during the heyday of Valley culture. It was, like, totally rad. When not at school, I spent most of my early life at the beach, collecting tusk shells and sand crabs. In the third grade I decided that I wanted to be a scientist, and gradually converted the attic into lab space for botanical experiments. After I managed to kill several dozen carnivorous plants by exposing them to mailordered amino acids, my concerned mother suggested that I think about more practical career options, like medicine. In 1996, I left sunny California and came to the Boston area for college. Although the charm of dark, cold winters soon wore off, the move apparently turned out to be permanent. During my freshman year at Harvard I began working with Alfonso Caramazza, who has been my mentor and collaborator ever since. As an undergraduate major in cognitive neuroscience, my research goal was to understand how the brain processes language. Eleven years later, I’d like to think that I’m slightly closer to that goal, having helped to describe some of the neural circuits that underlie grammatical knowledge. At the very least, I’ve learned how to think rigorously, write succinctly, and operate an MRI scanner without obliterating my credit cards. Along the way, my work with aphasic patients convinced me that I was destined for a career in neurology. An affinity for stickers and finger puppets led me specifically to child neurology, and I’m looking forward to my next five years as a resident in pediatrics (at Children’s Hospital) and neurology (at Massachusetts General Hospital). In my free time, I hope to resume my childhood hobby of beachcombing on the rocky stretches of the South Shore. 22 I’m grateful to the staff of the M.D.-Ph.D. Program and the Harvard Psychology Department for their invaluable help in negotiating my academic path, and to my parents and my second family, the Grecos, for their love and support.
ANNA LEA STEVENS Sometimes it felt that I could see the edges of the world—I saw the sunrise and the sun set on the flat windy plains of Kansas. Much later, I realize that the world is far larger than I ever envisioned and that opportunity exists far beyond my imagination. I am the child of farmers, born and raised in a small community in Kansas. I attended local high school, then MIT for undergraduate training and Harvard and MIT for an M.D.-Ph.D.. Over the past twelve years at MIT and Harvard, I engaged in a number of research projects including studying the regulation and expression of renal aquaporins (water channels) in the male reproductive system, evaluating the role of specific HIV viral proteins in deterring immune surveillance, probing the vibrational dynamics of proteins in hydrated films using Raman spectroscopy, characterizing the effects of cardiac troponin T mutations in altering the energetic efficiency of the heart, and validating novel nanofluidics methods for biomacromolecule separations. These projects fueled my excitement for science and for medicine. My Ph.D. research focused on systems level proteomics work to better understand cartilage injury and how it may lead to osteoarthritis. In the fall of 2006, I returned to the wards, and I found myself fulfilled at a personal level in a way that research was unable to offer—I was involved in patient care, and I witnessed the impact of great medicine and medical providers on their patients. Orthopaedics inspired my curiosity and my imagination. The concepts and approach to repair made intuitive sense; the surgery is fascinating; and the results provide a solution that enables rapid mobility. I look forward to residency in orthopaedics at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center where they provide a balance from stateof-the-art orthopaedics, to trauma, to community practice, to cutting edge orthopaedics research. 23
Page 1 and 2: ning Among a Group of Heroin Addict
Page 3 and 4: HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL ANNUAL SPRIN
Page 5 and 6: LEFT: Dr. Ronald Arky; Dr. Jules Di
Page 7 and 8: f 2008 OOL MD-PhD PROGRAM OOL MD-Ph
Page 9 and 10: SIRAJ M. ALI I was raised on a farm
Page 11 and 12: SAVITA VISALAKSHI DANDAPANI I spent
Page 13 and 14: AMAR DHAND I grew up in the breadba
Page 15 and 16: PAUL GEORGE After growing up in Coo
Page 17 and 18: NICHOLAS E. HOUSTIS I’m a Hoosier
Page 19 and 20: JOSEPH ABIODUN LADAPO I was born in
Page 21 and 22: ROBERT SHIGEO OHGAMI I was born Mar
Page 23: PATRICK KWAME SAFO I grew up in Gha
Page 27 and 28: CULLEN MITSUO TANIGUCHI When I ente
Page 29 and 30: ELLEN YEH I had my beginnings in th
Page 31 and 32: MARTIN ZALESAK Martin was born and
Page 33 and 34: AR DESTINATIONS Carlos Paz General
Page 35 and 36: “ Take rest; a field that has res
Page 37 and 38: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are thankful to
Page 40: VACCINE ANTIGEN EXPRESSION AND IMMU

2008 Class Book - Harvard Medical School

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