Ph.D. in Medical Neuroscience

Why did you choose graduate school at IUPUI?

After finishing my medical school and clinical training in China, I realized there are still many diseases that do not have effective treatments in the clinic. Further work needed to be done to explore the detailed mechanisms of these diseases and generate therapies. Because of this, I decided to become a biomedical researcher in the future, and in order to achieve this goal, I applied to Indiana BioMedical Gateway (IBMG) program at Indiana University School of Medicine. There are two reasons I chose IBMG IUSM - firstly, this program provides diverse research directions for students, exposing them to various fields of research and helps them decide their research interests; secondly, this program has a great staff and plenty of research resources to support students to finish their studies and achieve their future career goals.

What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?

I presented my research project at many big international conferences and have been the recipient of many travel awards.

What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?

I like the downtown area in Indianapolis because of the good restaurants, cafes and gift shops. I also enjoy visiting the Newfields art museum, their new exhibits and walking around their beautiful outdoor grounds.

Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.

My research focuses on studying how lipid metabolism affects the trabecular meshwork structure and functions. Trabecular meshwork is a critical tissue which is in charge of the eye pressure, and is also a target tissue which is involved in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) pathogenesis. Currently, there is still no effective treatments for POAG in clinic, so finding the new therapeutic target is an urgent task for eye researchers. Through studying lipid metabolism in trabecular meshwork, we may provide an innovative direction in understanding the occurrence of this disease and help us design better therapeutic strategies. Outside of my research, I am also a peer-to-peer student wellness mentor and member of the medical neuroscience graduate organization and women in neuroscience group. I also currently serve on the committee for postdocs and students at ASCB.