Sinafik Gebru

During her presentation, Sinafik will address the challenges and benefits of working in a research environment different from those at Mount Holyoke. A recurring theme during this discussion will be the importance of pursuing research on infectious diseases in communities that have had higher infection and mortality rates. As a research assistant at the Armaeur Hansen Institute, a bio-medical center in Ethiopia, she conducted and analyzed results of different experiments. Most of the experiments were targeted at understanding how antibodies such as Erk and p38 impacted T cell proliferation. These experiments would later on help gain a better sense of how HIV destroys the immune system. While improving her laboratory and technical skills, she was also introduced to other pioneer research addressing diseases such as Tuberculosis and Leprosy. Not only did this internship give Sinafik the opportunity to analyze the efficiency of various public health interventions in dealing with an epidemic but it also helped her challenge the notion that these communities are powerless victims.

 

The Armaeur Hansen Research Institute is a good example of the initiatives taken to address issues of global importance and how communities are coming together to, once and for all, eradicate HIV/AIDS.