Whitney

Whitney

Which lab are you currently working in?
I am an MD/PhD student in the Duffy lab.

What are you doing at Seattle Biomedical Research Institute?
My project is looking at the effect of treating pregnant mothers using the antimalarial drug combination sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine, a malaria treatment regiment called intermittent preventive treatment in pregnancy (IPTp) on the mother and the baby. These drugs cross the placenta and can be found in cord blood samples. My data shows that babies born to mothers who were treated end up with malaria earlier than babies from mothers who were not treated. Additionally, the parasites that do survive in the mothers become resistant to the drugs.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Port Angeles, WA. I enjoyed growing up there because I love the outdoors.

Where did you go to college? What did you like about your school?
I did my undergrad studies at Harvard University. I enjoyed going to school there because of the great diversity of my peers. There are amazing academic and social opportunities and lots of exposure to very well-known people. Undergraduate students are treated similarly to graduate students. Undergraduate research opportunities are extensive and are part of the program requirements for many majors. Every summer, I worked in different labs and was even able to publish my work from one summer. One summer I went to London and the next summer I went to the Marine Biological Laboratory. I majored in neurobiology and completed a thesis project. I found these opportunities through my Harvard professors.

What did you do after you graduated?
After Harvard I came straight to the University of Washington to the MD/PhD program. In order to be able to do this, I took my MCATs my junior year and I applied to MD/PhD programs at 12 universities during the summer prior to my senior year.

Why did you apply to grad school?
I applied to MD/PhD programs because I wanted to be able to both practice medicine and conduct research. These programs focus on “translational research,” or research that is directly transferable from the bench to patients.

Why did you come to Seattle Biomedical Research Institute?
As I did my research rotations at the University of Washington, I discovered the area of Global Health. I was inspired to dedicate the rest of my career to this area of work. Seattle Biomedical Research Institute is a great place to be if you are interested in global health. It is a beautiful facility and I enjoy the contact between different labs and faculty.

What are your hobbies outside of the lab?
I enjoy traveling, hiking, running, skiing and just about anything outdoors. I also like to cook.

From where you are now, what advise would you give to incoming and graduate BioQuest students?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Find out what opportunities are available for you. The more you are involved in seeking opportunities, the more people will see your potential. Be open minded about your career path. Never shut the door on any possibilities.

Papers:

1. Competitive facilitation of drug-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites in preg...
2. Of urchins and men: evolution of an alternative splicing unit in fibroblast growth factor ...
    

Abstracts:

1. Harrington W and F Buckner. “Identification of an Active P450 Reductase Protein in Trypanosoma cruzi.” Journal of Investigative Medicine, Vol. 53, (1) 311, 2005.
2. Harrington W, Wamalwa D, Farquhar C, et al. “The Effect of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy on Response to Tetanus Immunization Among Kenyan HIV-1 Infection Children: Tetanus titers at baseline.” Journal of Investigative Medicine, Vol. 54, (1) 541, 2006.

Posters:

1. Harrington WE, Fried M, Bolla MC, Mutabingwa TK and PE Duffy. “Presumptive Antimalarial Treatment of Pregnant Women Modifies the Risk of Parasitemia in Their Newborns.” Annual MD-PhD Student Conference, Keystone, CO. July, 2007.