Thanks to supportive faculty, undergraduate research experiences, job shadowing, and leadership opportunities such as helping plan Iowa State’s Pre-Health Conference, Jackson ('22 biology, psychology) achieved his dream of being accepted to University of Iowa College of Dentistry.
Madeline (’21 biochemistry) became a standout undergraduate researcher at Iowa State, combining her passion for impacting society through science with her mission to improve malaria treatments. She is now pursuing a Ph.D. in biological sciences in public health at Harvard.
Cameron (’21 chemistry, genetics) conducted research on biosensor development. She was accepted to the University of Iowa Carver School of Medicine and hopes to make an impact in rural health care and diagnostics.
It was “Doc” who inspired Ben ('18 nutritional science, genetics) to pursue a career in medicine. Growing up in a small town, the whole town knew the local doctor, which led Ben to recognize the importance of humanity in medicine. Now at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Ben’s teaching and research efforts are focused on high value care education for pre-clinical medical students, as well as the utilization of social media platforms for promoting high value care and affordability initiatives.
Kate ('07 biology) prepared for a future in global health by taking a variety of interdisciplinary courses and conducting hands-on research in a Parkinson’s disease laboratory. After graduating from Duke University School of Medicine, she became a family physician with a nonprofit community health provider.
A headache started Mohamed’s ('20 genetics) journey to a career in medicine. His mother’s relentless headaches forced her to travel more than 900 miles from their home to Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, for treatment. She never found relief, and it frustrated Mohamed, which led him to pursue a medical degree after graduating from Iowa State.
Opportunities are what drew Cole to study biology ('19) at Iowa State. Cole was a member of the pre-medical club and volunteered around the Ames community. He also studied abroad at the University of Newcastle, Australia. Now as a Des Moines University student, Cole completed an eight-week virtual internship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Jillian (’21 mechanical engineering) combined her passions for engineering, sports, and helping others by working alongside prosthetists and fabrication technicians. Now Jillian plans to become a certified prosthetist and orthotist.
A service learning trip to Uganda inspired Brian ('14 global resource systems) to focus his career on international human health. He didn’t look back, joining the Peace Corps and working on immunizations for the largest global health consulting firm in the United States.
Asthma is a common chronic health condition affecting millions of people in the United States. While asthma cannot be cured, it can be managed if we identify and understand triggers and risk factors that cause asthma exacerbations, according to research by Wenli Zhang, assistant professor of information systems and business analytics.
Brett VanVeller, associate professor of chemistry, and his team work on projects such as tagging proteins with fluorescent molecules. When proteins glow with fluorescence, medical professionals are better able to view, track and analyze them. Rapid screening tests and medical diagnostics can revolutionize patient health—and photochemical research is key to those advances.
Wallapak Tavanapong, professor of computer science, is on a mission to transform lives with technology. Her artificial intelligence software—currently in clinical trials with the National Institute of Health—can provide doctors with real-time feedback during colonoscopies, which could improve care and help fight cancer.
Does our personality predict how we sleep? How does sleep disruption impact self-control? How does sleep impact social interaction with others? These are just some of the questions Zlatan Križan, a full professor in the Department of Psychology, aims to answer in his research group. His work demonstrates that when we “embrace a basic human need to switch off on a regular basis” we support our own well-being.
Alison Phillips, associate professor of psychology, develops technology-based strategies for promoting wide-scale participation in health programs, with an emphasis on improving patient-provider communication and healthy-habit development. Her research focuses on medication adherence, physical activity habits, and other health-related habits.
Elizabeth Stegemoller, kinesiology is engaged in a comprehensive study to determine the underlying mechanisms of how singing can improve breathing and swallowing—functions that use the same muscles crucial to preventing aspiration pneumonia in people with Parkinson’s disease.
