M. Sydney S
- Research Program Mentor
Industry expert at University of San Diego
Expertise
Immunology, Gastrointestinal Disease, Biotech, Consulting
Bio
I became interested in Immunology and scientific research near the end of middle school after learning about what kinds of research was being conducted by scientists at medical institutions in my home state. Since then, I pursued opportunities to conduct scientific research in Immunology and Neuroscience. These experiences led me to pursue a PhD in Immunology at the University of Michigan where I study how people develop Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). IBD is a disease that affects approximately 4 million people in the US who experience chronic inflammation of their gut, resulting in damage to their intestines including mucosal wounds and ulcers. IBD is thought to be caused by many different factors, including an immune system that has gone rogue. I recent defended my dissertation where I studied how factors that promote cell migration and growth contribute to wound repair and cancer development in the intestine. Outside of my research, I love to run, exercise, cook, read, and hike. I am passionate about science communication, working towards remedying health disparities, and contributing my expertise to run a small consulting firm that serves the Michigan business community. As my next career step, I will be pursuing life sciences strategy consulting focusing on biopharmaceutical and medical devices/diagnostics projects.Project ideas
How much does Crohn's Disease cost?
Although Crohn's Disease affects few Americans (~3 million) relative to other diseases, the exact causes of Crohn's are incompletely understood. Subsequently, current therapies for Crohn's are not very effective resulting in high healthcare costs to treat these individuals over the course of their lifetimes. In addition to high costs of healthcare, IBD can significantly diminish quality for these individuals which can result in lost wages among other things. A prospective student could conduct research using available, literature and public databases to quantify the cost of IBD to patients and other stakeholders in the country of their choosing. Students would learn how to read scientific journal articles, synthesize large amounts of data across multiple fields of study, and gain an understanding of the burden of treating a chronic disease. The outcome of this research project would be an article written by the student outlining their findings and offering recommendations as to alleviation of these economic burdens in the future.
Which diet is best for IBD patients?
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the intestinal tract that affects approximately 4 million people in the United States. People who have IBD experience bloating, diarrhea, malabsorption, and weight loss. Recently, dietary interventions have been introduced as a new method to alleviate IBD symptoms. A prospective student could conduct research using available literature and public databases to evaluate the effectiveness of different diets (anti-inflammatory, low FOD-MAP, vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, etc.) on IBD symptoms. Students will learn how to critically evaluate results from clinical trial studies and gain an understanding of the biology behind IBD and the growing field of dietary intervention. The outcome of this research project would be a review article written by the student outlining their findings and offering recommendations of which diet is best for IBD patients to reduce symptoms.