is often found in children under the age of five because their bodies are not used to fighting malaria as well as adults. My own research is focused on C.M, particularly because the reason why some children are asymptomatic and some get cerebral malaria is still very poorly understood.
I spend the majority of my time either working in the laboratory at the Kamuzu University of Health Sciences or in the research ward at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (Q.E.C.H.), which takes care of C.M. patients. The ward on Q.E.C.H. was founded by Michigan State faculty and has been providing care to pediatric patients since 1986. I retrieve collected samples from the C.M. patients on the ward and use them for my research project, which hopefully will provide a deeper understanding of why this illness occurs.
I love working in the lab here and have made good friends with my Malawian co-workers. They make working here such a blast! My research experience is definitely different here in Malawi to home in the U.S. I would say it is very difficult to get products here, since the shipping time is so long, and we also usually have less fancy equipment compared to the States. At the same time, we are still able to carry out some incredible experiments.
My mentor and boss is Dr. Karl Seydel. He is an M.D. and Ph.D., which means he is both a researcher and a doctor, so I have had the very unique opportunity to watch him work in both the lab and the research ward. Dr. Seydel has been my biggest inspiration for wanting to pursue both medicine and research! If anything in this article sounds interesting to you, please know that research is for everyone and it is never too early to try it!
