Rebecca Waugh

Abstract: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C), is a rare but severe condition caused by the coronavirus SARS-Cov-2. It appears 2-4 weeks after the exposure to the coronavirus, even though the symptoms of Covid-19 disease may be mild or asymptomatic in children. During MIS-C, the patients develop a delayed aberrant reaction of the immune system. It affects various organs and organ systems, of which the cardiovascular system is the most common (80% of MIS-C patients). It often leads to a severe circulatory shock and heart failure (HF). Biomechanical cardiac modeling can firstly, help understand the pathophysiology of the cardiovascular involvement in MISC.  Secondly, hypothetical action of various types of pharmacological therapy was tested in silico using the created patient-specific models, in order to direct treatment strategies for MISC. The patient-specific modeling allows access to peripheral vascular resistance and myocardial contractility, while using patient’s data acquired at each exam. Then, the models were used to drive a hypothetical study assessing vasodilator addition with mild inotropic effect and a drug with only inotropic effect

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​What does research mean to you? 
​Research is about bettering the world. It gives you the chance to follow curiosities and understand problems, to think of weird solutions and read all day. And when something works, it opens up ideas and pathways you never initially thought of. Research means being able to talk to others and throw in a thought. Progress happens with groups and discoveries originate from a melting pot of ideas and knowledge. With the goal that one day, you’ll answer one of those unknowns and help thousands of people. Research doesn’t impact people on a one-to-one basis, it has far-reaching impacts. To me, research is an opportunity to change the future and experience the edge of innovation.

Tell us about your journey.
I thought of doing research since high school, but didn’t join a research lab until sophomore year of university. It was fun working as an undergraduate in a lab, you saw cool reactions, you set-up fancy glassware, got strict lectures about how dangerous the chemicals you were using were, and cleaned. But, it didn’t hold much interest for me. Anyways, my friend encouraged me to join Green Fellows, and I found that special something that was missing before. The great part of research is designing the steps, reading research papers and finding something that could work, seeing things go right and seeing things go wrong, and meeting people that know so much more than you but love to help. Now, I know research will be part of my future career.

What was your favorite part about the program? 
My favorite part of this program is it allowed me to follow an interest I had otherwise not pursued. I was always interested in biomedical engineering, but chose to be a biochemistry major. This doesn’t mean my interest in biomedical engineering disappeared. But when joining a research lab, having the full lab experience, no matter where you start everything is new. So I took a chance and instead of going in a biochemistry or chemistry lab, like I did at UTD, I joined a bioengineering and molecular imaging lab. And I loved it. The opportunity to follow an interest that I wouldn’t otherwise be able to was amazing.

What was the biggest thing you learned from the program?
The biggest thing I learned was not to be too hard on myself. When I first started at the lab I felt so stupid next to these post docs and doctors. I could barely follow their conversation and everything was intimidating. But research is a field where communications, contacts, and learning are important. They want to train you and help you. They gave me all these papers to read, asked for my opinions, and now I can lead our conversations. This doesn’t mean I know anything near as much as my colleagues and PI. But I’ve learned to give myself time to adjust and that imposter syndrome is real and how to mitigate it.

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Advice for Future Green Fellows

​The best advice I can give is to just try. You were able to believe in Santa Clause and the tooth fairy for years, so believe in yourself for a couple minutes. If you are on the fence to apply, just submit an application. Maybe you don’t know if research is for you, well full-time research is very different than the ten hours a week you put in the lab at UTD. It’s a lot more exciting and interesting. If you think research is for you, then apply and choose a new interesting field. Push your limits and allow yourself to explore different fields of interests. When I started this journey, I thought I wouldn’t be selected. But I was, and I am so thankful for this experience. If you let yourself take advantage of this opportunity it will be great. So, just try. Try to ask questions, try speaking up about your ideas, try to take an active role in the lab, and try applying for Green Fellows.