NATIONAL SPACE BIOMEDICAL
RESEARCH INSTITUTE
RESEARCH INSTITUTE
 NSBRI Postdoctoral Fellow – 2004-2006 at University of Washington Current Position: Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering George Washington University Honors/Awards/Publications during Fellowship: Gold Prize Young Investigator Award at the 11th Congress of the World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology, Seoul, Korea Authored 10 peer-reviewed publications based on research conducted during Fellowship What is your area of research interest? Therapeutic ultrasound applied to drug delivery What type of work are you doing? My work is focusing on the use of therapeutic ultrasound to change permeability of different biological tissues to allow delivery of therapeutic compounds. For example, this technique may offer an inexpensive and relatively simple method of improved delivery of medications into the eye for faster treatment of corneal infections and inflammations. Another possibility is its use for delivery of drugs directly into cancerous tissue, not impacting healthy tissue. How does your current work relate to the research you did as an NSBRI fellow? It is a continuation; I'm still using high-intensity focused ultrasound. But, rather than focusing on hemorrhage control to stop bleeding, I'm looking at its use to modify tumor properties for drug delivery. The physics and development of the methods are the same but with different end goals. Key Honors/Awards since Fellowship: Invited scientific reviewer for NIH and the National Science Foundation Reviewer for several important journals in field of research interest 2009 – Received NIH grant for "Ultrasound Enhanced Ocular Drug Delivery" 2009 – Co-editor of book, "Image-Guided Therapy Systems" How did the Fellowship impact your career? It allowed me to focus on my own research project, giving me a new level of independence in conducting my research. During the Fellowship, I was able to build a strong research background and strong publication list that set me apart when applying for jobs. I felt well prepared for a transition into an academic career; NSBRI even organized a workshop for us on job interview skills. What advice would you give someone completing a Ph.D. and considering a fellowship? In a biomedical field, a postdoctoral position is essential if you want to go into academia. What advice do you have for new NSBRI Fellows? Take the fellowship very seriously, so you get the most out of it. Be committed to your research, stay on schedule, and work hard on publications. I think that after their first year, postdocs should begin looking seriously for positions in academia or in industry that interest them. Two years is just the right amount of time as a postdoc. |
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