I first became involved with stem cell donor drives through the National Marrow Donor Program because, as someone who hopes to work in healthcare as a physician, I was looking for ways in undergrad to make a real impact. When I first heard patient stories about individuals whose lives were saved by a stem cell transplant, the work felt immediate and meaningful. Joining the registry is something ordinary people can do that has life-changing consequences for someone else. That idea stayed with me. As I became more involved, I took on leadership responsibilities and helped organize recruitment events on campus. I coordinated logistics, managed volunteers, and spent a lot of my time having one-on-one conversations with students about what stem cell donation actually involves.

After hearing patient stories and becoming more involved, I first served as Social Media Chair, where I focused on expanding our reach and increasing awareness about stem cell donation. Later, as Co-President, I had more influence over how we structured our donor drives and volunteer training. Early on, I was focused on numbers and growth, and I remember thinking, why would anyone not sign up? During donor drives, there was a strong emphasis on numbers, on getting as many people onto the registry as possible. Over time, that mindset shifted for me. I saw how differently people responded to the same information. Some students were immediately ready to register, while others hesitated because they were afraid of needles or unsure what donation would require. I realized that it is not a small commitment. If someone matches with a patient, they may be that person's only match. We don't want people backing out because they feel overwhelmed or misinformed. That realization changed how I crafted outreach strategies. I stopped thinking about recruitment as persuasion and started thinking about it as education. My approach became less about convincing and more about making sure people understood the process well enough to make an informed decision.

From this experience, I learned that community-based health work depends on trust and transparency. Public health initiatives only succeed when people feel respected and fully informed. Through NMDP, I learned that education is not just a step in the process. It is the foundation of ethical participation. Seeing the impact of donation through patient stories and meeting individuals whose cancer was cured through a transplant made the responsibility feel real. This experience strengthened my commitment to patient autonomy and reinforced that informed consent begins long before someone even enters a clinical setting.

Artifact

This is one of our biggest events of the year in collaboration with UW Athletics. It's an event I spent a lot of time planning and volunteering at, and our hard work paid off because we got more than 100 registrations in one day!

As part of a collaborative research project in SPH 480, I helped design and conduct a cross-sectional study examining whether academic burden was associated with time spent exercising among full-time undergraduate students at the University of Washington Seattle campus during Spring 2025. The research question was personally relevant to me, as I was navigating a demanding academic schedule while trying to maintain my own physical and mental health. Our group worked through all stages of the research process, including developing the research question, designing a survey, collecting data, and conducting analysis.

This project addressed a broader public health issue about how institutional structures, such as academic expectations, shape health behaviors. Rather than viewing exercise as an individual choice alone, the study highlighted how time pressure and academic demands can limit students' ability to prioritize physical activity. Understanding these dynamics is important for informing university-level policies and prevention efforts that support student well-being rather than placing responsibility solely on individuals.

Through this experience, I developed skills in collaborative research, variable operationalization, data cleaning, and both quantitative and qualitative analysis. Working closely with my group taught me how much research depends on communication and shared decision-making. I became more confident asking questions, contributing ideas, and engaging with feedback when aspects of the study were unclear. Interpreting our findings and connecting them to real-world implications strengthened my understanding of how population health research informs institutional and medical decision-making.

Artifact  ·  Final Research Report

Determining if Academic Burden Is Associated with Time Spent Exercising Among University of Washington Full-time Undergraduate Students
SPH 480  ·  Spring 2025  ·  University of Washington Seattle

I work on clinical cardiology research at UW Harborview Medical Center, focusing on studies related to sleep-disordered breathing and cardiovascular health. My responsibilities include reviewing patient charts to determine eligibility, approaching patients to explain the study and obtain consent, and teaching them how to use home-based monitoring devices such as a sleep ring or breathing monitor. Much of this work happens on inpatient units, where patients are recovering from serious injuries or managing complex medical conditions. Being part of research in that setting has shown me how closely scientific protocols and human experience intersect.

Through this work I've had to interact with a lot of patients, but one experience that I vividly remember was a day when I reviewed a patient's chart before entering the room and saw a long list of diagnoses and recent procedures. Technically, they met every eligibility criterion for the study. I decided to go see the patient anyways, but when I got to the door I felt a lot of hesitation. I could hear family members inside, and the patient had clearly been through a lot. When I introduced myself and explained the study, I could sense that it was not the right moment. The conversation was brief. They declined, and I left the room thinking about how easy it would be if eligibility was the only factor at play. That experience stayed with me. It made me more aware that patients are not just potential participants but individuals navigating stress, pain, and uncertainty.

The main takeaway from this experience for me was that good clinical research requires more than following a protocol. It requires situational awareness, empathy, and the judgment to recognize when to move forward and when to step back. At the same time, it also requires the willingness to enter spaces that feel uncomfortable. Early on, walking into hospital rooms alone felt intimidating, and there were moments when I questioned whether I belonged there. Learning to introduce myself confidently, explain the study clearly, and accept whatever decision followed helped me grow. Moving forward, I know this balance will matter in my future work in healthcare. Whether conducting research or caring for patients, I will need to recognize the context people are in, respect their autonomy, and still be willing to step into difficult conversations with professionalism and care.

Artifact  ·  Published Abstract

This is an abstract published from some of the work I completed in the research lab, particularly the work I did with blood pressure measurements in patients with heart failure.