Woo is a public health student at Loma Linda University School of Public Health in Los Angeles and a study coordinator in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) pediatric rheumatology department. “Jennifer is an outstanding researcher because of her passion for her work, collaborative nature, and careful, logical approach,” says her mentor, Deborah McCurdy, MD, clinical professor of pediatric rheumatology at David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Woo started working with McCurdy as a researcher in 2008, and has continued to work actively for clinical and biomedical rheumatology research.
“It has been wonderful having Dr. McCurdy as my mentor and has allowed me to run with projects that I have a passion for and develop my interest in the field of rheumatology,” says Woo.
Woo became interested in integrating quality-improvement interventions during her work at the David Geffen School of Medicine. Beyond her routine duties, Woo identified the need to investigate atherosclerosis in lupus patients; therefore, she established collaborations and designed a study investigating interventions to improve medical management and patient experience. She presented her preliminary results at the 2010 ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.
“My project will be a great contribution to the field of rheumatology. There is such a large opportunity for growth in the rheumatology field, and I encourage other students to research these opportunities,” says Woo.
Andrew Galica is a bioengineer at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He works full time at Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL) and Harvard Medical School with his mentor, Marian T. Hannan, DSc, MPH, senior scientist at the HSL Institute for Aging Research and associate professor of medicine at Harvard. “It has been extremely helpful having a mentor, because it has opened my eyes and doors to career options and the basic knowledge of being a researcher,” says Galica.
He is also a Master’s student in the Medical Sciences program at Boston University School of Public Health, and has a burgeoning interest in rheumatologic research in older adults. He has a strong background in bioengineering and has planned a study to examine biologic complexity in relation to falls in a large cohort. Galica has worked on a foot biomechanics study, collecting and processing data for the MOBILIZE Boston cohort study, and later presented an abstract on this study at the 2010 ACR/ARHP Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta. He has also worked with ARHP member Uyen-Sa Nguyen, DSc, MPH, on knee osteoarthritis and falls.
“I was extremely grateful and honored, and owe a lot of the credit to my mentor for getting me to this point,” says Galica about receiving the award.
“As a research mentor,” Dr. Hannan says, “I am passionate about recognizing the creative research of our graduate students in assessing and improving the lives of patients with rheumatic diseases.” She continues, “Andrew Galica is an outstanding graduate student and holds great promise to have a successful career in rheumatology research.”
The ARHP congratulates Woo and Galica on receipt of the 2011 Graduate Student Award and wishes them great success as they progress in their research careers.
