Dylan Naitraj David (“Raj”)
Richmond, VA
Marie-Dominique Filippi Lab
Research focus: Role of MAVS and Inflammasome in Bone Marrow Failure and MDS
Why choose UC? The research resources, here at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital (which is technically the Dept. of Pediatrics for UC Health/Hospital, and is heavily partnered with UC) receives an enormous amount of support, funding, and bolstering from the NIH, and that fact alone is a major reason why I chose UC.
In fact, during the year that I worked as a Post-bac Research Fellow at the NIH, I was afforded the exact same resources and equipment that I utilize now in my lab (in fact some of it is even better here at UC/Children’s)! That, and the sincerely collaborative nature of UC/Children’s, as a whole, is amazing and genuine. I have not yet met a PI that didn’t invite me into his or her office to discuss their research whenever I had a question relevant to their field of expertise. The camaraderie and support systems in place here are really designed to make sure that graduate students succeed—more so than most other institutions.
Why study Immunology? Immunology intersects with almost everything in biology. If something you study is biologically relevant in humans, then you will probably run into some immunology in your project or field of study. For instance, even though my lab is in the Cancer Biology Department, my project is very heavily focused in the inflammasome and the immune system’s role in the pathogenesis of MDS and other blood cancers and hematologic diseases. Training in this Immunology Graduate Program will allow me the ability to understand, and translate my research to, many other fields of study within biological science.
What will be the thing years from now that you’ll remember about the program? My lab-mates. We always help each other out. If your day is going to be a 12-hour day, then you can count on one of your lab-mates to take care of your mice for other experiments, take care of your cells, and do your lab chores, while you run your protocols—and then have a drink with you afterwards. It’s truly a great cooperative environment that fosters the best kind of thinking and teamwork.
Awards or publications:
Publications:
Isaacs J, Patel G, Mallu S, Ugwu-Oju O, Desai A, Borschel G, David D, Protzuk O, Shah S, Semus R. Effect of Reverse End-to-Side (Supercharging) Neurotization in Long Processed Acellular Nerve Allograft in a Rat Model. The Journal of Hand Surgery. S0363-5023(17)31999-8.
Honors/Awards:
Provost Scholarship Award Recipient (2012)
Virginia Commonwealth University
- Covered the full cost of tuition, fees, and books for four years
- Selected as one of fifty Provost Scholarship recipients, in an entering class of 6,500 students, based on application, experience, and merit
Undergraduate Senior Research Thesis (August 2015 - May 2016)
Virginia Commonwealth University
- Awarded grade of “A” for completed senior research thesis titled “Isolation, Characterization, and Genomic Analysis of Bifidobacterium scardovii in the Vaginal Microbiome”