Hello!

I hope that you have come to this page to learn… as that is the whole reason it is here!

Since I was seven years old, I have been fascinated by the world of microorganisms and infectious diseases. Over the years this evolved from a simple fascination to a passion that has led me to where I am now- Four weeks away from graduating from Arizona State University with a Bachelors of Science in Biology and a Bachelors of Science in Anthropology; and to be honest, this is just the beginning!

I have chosen to study both Anthropology as well as Biology because it gives me a unique perspective on diseases, and how they have evolved over the course of human history. I believe that by studying how diseases present in the human population from their origin to current times, we can derive an understanding of how they are going to evolve in the future. I concentrate my focus on researching infectious diseases and understanding their impact on the human population.

This concern piqued my interest in infectious diseases and because of this I have expanded my research and am now working on identifying cultural factors that may affect the transmission of the coronavirus spreading in Saudi Arabia, called Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV). This disease is a sister virus to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV) and they are closely related in the phylogenetic tree of novel coronaviruses that have generated infections in humans.

My educational background and study of diseases have been focused on data analysis and the epidemiology of MERS-CoV. My professional background as an Emergency Medical Technician has given me a glimpse of the everyday need of a strong Public Health infrastructure. These are just a few reasons that I am determined to one day be on the frontlines to respond to and treat emergency situations such as biological and environmental emergencies, infectious disease outbreaks, and other situations that require emergency response.

My intent is to continue my education with this dual approach of combining hands-on medical knowledge with in depth research in order to understand the mechanisms of a disease on a population along with how to treat and help the infected individuals recover. Moving forward, I plan to tackle the problems of infectious diseases: how to treat, contain, and understand how they infect a population.  There are many different paths available to reach this goal, and being a part of this program with the limitless opportunities it presents to those interested in public health is a step in the right direction for anyone striving to better the world.

I want to devote my life to helping people and preventing these diseases from spreading. One of the best ways to do this is to educate the population on the fundamentals of biology, infectious diseases and public health. I hope you continue on this journey with me as I explore this Microbial World!