Here is a look at the Duke Professional and Graduate Students who are the Coaches for the BOOST Scholars

For a video profile of two of the Coaches, click on Clarence (QuickTime or RealMedia) or Isabel (QuickTime or RealMedia). The QuickTime version works better with a Mac computer.

Julius Wilder

Julius Wilder is in his 6th yr as a MD/PhD student here at Duke. He is pursuing his PhD in Medical Sociology and Health Policy. His research focuses on how various social and psychological factors (SES, race, gender, and social support) lead to activation of the Allostatic Load neuroendocrine system increasing the prevalence and incidence of hypertension and diabetes in African Americans. Julius is also pursuing a certificate in Health Policy from Stanford where he is concentrating on the role Health Policy will play in addressing Health Disparities.

Emma Archibong

Emma Archibong is a rising third year medical student at Duke University School of Medicine with an interest in pediatric medicine. She attended Duke University as an undergraduate, and prior to that, the North Carolina School of Science and Math. At as undergraduate, she spent a good portion of her four years working in local Durham public schools as a reading and math tutor (i.e. Forest View elementary, Lakewood Elementary, Durham School of the Arts, and E.K. Powe). During this time, she also participated in smaller hands-on science demonstrations for groups of middle school students. Next year she will be attending the UNC-CH School of Public Health and doing epidemiology research with Duke mentors.

Clarence Findley

Clarence M. Findley grew up in Prince Georges County, Maryland and attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School where he was a student in the Science and Technology program. During two summers in high school, he worked with Dr. Gary Kamimori at Walter Reed Army Institutes of Research conducting exercise physiology research. He then attended Princeton University and majored in Molecular Biology. During his college years, he conducted cardiac electrophysiology research examining gender differences in cardiac repolarization in rabbits with Dr. Richard Robinson at Columbia University. For his senior thesis, he worked with Dr. Michael A Blanar at Bristol Meyers Squibb where he analyzed interactor and accessory proteins of HERG, a potassium ion channel highly expressed in ventricular tissue.  Outside of research, he was the vice president of the Princeton University Black Mens Awareness Group and initiated community service projects working with neighboring economically disadvantaged youth. Currently, he is a fourth year MD PhD student at Duke University and his research focuses on Tie2, a receptor tyrosine kinase involved in vessel maturation. He hopes to pursue a career in academic medicine focusing on cardiology and vascular biology research. He welcomes this opportunity to interact with tomorrow’s leading researchers and is looking forward to transforming your science interests into research careers.

Libby Bucholz

I am a 3rd year PhD candidate in Biomedical Engineering. I am working on optimizing Magnetic Resonance Imaging Sequences to better visualize the in-vivo beating mouse heart. Math and science have always been my strength since I was in grade school but I wanted to apply both subjects to medical problems and so I chose Biomedical Engineering, a fusion of all three interests. I have 3 years of one on one tutoring experience and also taught science to a class of 4th graders. I am excited about this great opportunity!

Dawn Pedrotty

I was born in Massillon Ohio; I lived there until I was 12, when my family moved to Albuquerque, NM. I started researching at Sandia National Laboratories when I was in high school and continued through my undergraduate education. I attended New Mexico Tech and studied Chemical Engineering with a minor in Chemistry. During that time I volunteered with the society of women engineering to help the local Girl Scout troops obtain their science badges. It was very fulfilling to work closely with the troops, attending meeting and having the opportunity to become part of the troop. I am now working on my PhD in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on the electrophysiology of cardiomyoplasty. I am currently active in the local Red Cross Chapter where I teach community classes on first aide and CPR. I am also a Disaster Action Team Captain, where I am on call one week a month and respond to local disasters, primarily house fires to assist the people involved with finding temporary housing, clothing, etc. I really enjoy my time spent volunteering and am very excited to join the Boost Program and work with such great people.

Isabel Cardenas-Navia

I am currently finishing my third year as a graduate student in the Biomedical Engineering Department, working in Mark Dewhirst's laboratory. I have a strong interest in mathematical modeling of nutrient and drug transport in tumor microcirculation because it allows me to use physiological measurements in tumor vasculature to determine unmeasureable concentration gradients in tumor tissue. Before coming to Duke, I received a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Yale University. During both my undergraduate and graduate studies I played women's rugby and coached youth soccer, but I've recently given up contact sports and taken up gardening (with much less success). I have two small, very spoiled dogs named Rocky and Rambo.

Jennifer Reavis

Jennifer is a third year medical student currently performing research on heart and head development in chicks using Fgf8 cell-cell signaling markers. She is considering a career in Ear, Nose, Throat surgery, but has been known to change her mind frequently! She is also a non-traditional medical student who majored in Chemical Engineering at Vanderbilt University, then spent three years developing the next generation of pharmaceuticals at Merck. She is a bona-fide nerd about everything science-y, loves chocolate, likes running (so she can eat more chocolate), horseback riding, and being outdoors. Being an engineer, she also likes to fix things and use power tools. Jennifer recently became engaged, which she thinks is extremely exciting. She is also active in promoting Duke's Global Health curriculum, is part of the Medical School admissions committee, and works to develop policy standpoints for Duke's chapter of the American Medical Association.

Lauren Battle

The health of the oceans and coastal systems are interwoven with the health of the people and animals of this planet. Growing up in Baltimore, Maryland I was well informed of the essential role of the Chesapeake Bay as an aesthetic tourist attraction, a habitat for thousands of plants and animals, and an invaluable fishery. However, I also became aware of the interactions between urban environments and waterways, and how that relationship has been devastating to this prized ecosystem. My interests in science led me to the University of Maryland Baltimore County, where as a Meyerhoff Scholar I was afforded multiple research opportunities that served both to improve my research skills, as well as my ability to communicate my research both to fellow scientists and to laypeople. For two consecutive summers I did research at the Shoals Marine Laboratory through both the Leadership Alliance and the Research Experience for Undergraduates Program. It was after this experience of developing and carrying out a research project that I became committed to pursuing a career in marine biology, specifically aquatic toxicology. As a doctoral student in the Integrated Toxicology Program at Duke University my interests are focused on studying how complex mixtures of industrial pollutants affect both environmental and human health. My thesis project is centered on using embryos from the common estuarine fish, Fundulus heteroclitus, to characterize the toxic effects of complex mixtures of compounds found at a Superfund site on the Elizabeth River in Virginia, and to help determine the mechanism of action that is driving the toxicity of the sediment at that site. The other focus of my graduate career is to educate women and minority students about topics and opportunities in the environmental sciences, specifically in marine biology. I have noticed the lack of women and minorities within all aspects of the marine sciences, from academia to the implementation of policy, due in part to the lack of education targeted to these groups about issues affecting our marine environments. This is especially disconcerting considering that many of the issues surrounding aquatic toxicology disproportionately affect women and minorities due both to the effects of many toxicants on reproductive health, and the large percentage of minority populations living in urban and polluted environments. Once I graduate from Duke I plan to pursue a career in environmental policy to aid in the protection of urban aquatic ecosystems and to educate women and minorities in particular about the effects of pollution on their estuaries, their oceans, and ultimately their health.

Charles Anamelechi

I was born in Nigeria but grew up in DC. I attended Howard University where I earned a degree in Chemistry with a minor in Math. For two summers while I was at Howard, I conducted research for the NIH to examine the efficacy of Cobalt water soluble porphyrins as delivery agents for cancer therapies. Additionally, while at Merck, I synthesized multi-cyclic quinones to test for VEGF inhibition and subsequent anti-tumor causing activity in dogs and rabbits. As a member of CSTEA, we organized and judged science fair competitions at local middle schools in the DC area. I also co-supervised the “Hands on Science Center” in the Smithsonian where we exposed kids at least 5 years of age to various scientific instruments and practices. Since moving to Durham I have had few opportunities to mentor and guide students in that manner and that is what will make the BOOST program such an enriching experience. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. My research focuses on trying to bioengineer Teflon-based cardiovascular grafts that can be used for small diameter arterial replacements. In my free time, I enjoy watching sunsets while sipping on some Folger’s Swiss Vanilla coffee. Jazz is my passion but classical music will do as well.