Research Assistant
University of Idaho
I received my undergraduate degree in biology, with an emphasis in pre-medicine, from Northwest Nazarene University. During my time at NNU, I participated in biochemical research studying how reproductive hormones regulate glycolysis to find potential therapeutic targets for uterine cancer. I did extensive cell cutlure work with immortalized cell lines. I presented posters on my undergraduate research at the INBRE conference in 2019, and the ICUR conference in 2020. I am currently finishing my masters degree in nutritional sciences at the University of Idaho. My research focuses on human milk peptides and their potential to protect against necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm infants. It utilizes enteroids, a 3d cell culture model, to model the preterm infant intestine. After finishing my master's degree, I look forward to pursuing my PH.D in nutritional sciences with Dr. Yimin Chen at the University of Idaho, continuing my work with human milk and the enteroids cell culture model.