Introduction Blog

Hi. My name is Sia. I live in Bethesda, Maryland in walking distance from the National Institutes of Health. I have been aware of my proximity to this large health organization from a young age and been curious about its campus. Because of this, I thought the NIH would be the perfect place to get an internship for my senior project. I could get some work experience at the place I had been interested in for so many years.

I reached out to a family friend who had worked at the NIH and got connected to two scientists working in different NIH labs. Dr. Devi Gurusamy works at the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute and does mitochondrial biology lab work. I plan to work in her lab in the month of March. Dr. Kenichi Hanada works at the surgery branch and is currently conducting research on renal cell cancer. I plan to work in his lab in April and May. I am super excited to see some NIH labs!

The research aspect of my senior project will be about cancer misconceptions and their sources. I will be looking into the portrayal of cancer in the media as well as cancer warnings and health information. This is a topic I will talk to my internship mentors about as well as research on my own outside of my internship.