September-October 2018 BLaST scientists of the month
October 1, 2018
The Biomedical Learning and Student Training program recognized three scientists of
the month: Graduate mentor research assistant Kimi Yatsushiro for September, and senior biological sciences major Ana Fiorella Carrasco for October.
September 2018 BLaST Scientist of the Month: Kimi Yatsushiro
Kimi Yatsushiro, a second-year graduate mentoring research assistant, is a fourth-year
Ph.D. student in the UAF-UAA clinical-community psychology program. She was born and
raised on O’ahu, Hawaii, and moved to Alaska in 2015 to gain more experience in rural
mental health. She received her undergraduate degree in psychology from the University
of Hawai’i in Manoa. In her free time, she enjoys painting, reading, and cooking/burning
food.
Yatsushiro’s research interests span a wide range of topics, including maternal health
and child development, postpartum depression, historical trauma, minority mental health,
and non-Western psychological interventions. Currently she is working on a research
project exploring the screening behavior of prenatal care providers in Alaska, Hawaii,
and other rural/isolated communities. Her research is focused on adapting culturally
sensitive postpartum wellness screenings in Alaska, utilizing data collected from
her current study.
More info (PDF)
October 2018 BLaST Scientist of the Month: Ana Fiorella Carrasco
Ana Fiorella Carrasco is a second-year BLaST scholar and a senior biological sciences
major. She was born in Bolivia, and has lived most of her life in Alaska. Fiorella
is bilingual (English and Spanish), speaks some French, and is learning Russian. She
is currently studying for the MCAT exam, ultimately planning to attend medical school
for an MD/MPH or MD degree. In her free time, Fiorella enjoys spending time with her
family and going to workout classes such as Zumba and cycling.
Carrasco’s past research involved virology and using next-generation sequencing technology
for the detection of Hepatitis C virus from people in Alaska. Currently, she is working
on a research project exploring HIV and the incidences of false positivity in low-prevalence
populations and its effects on the current HIV testing algorithm. Carrasco emphasizes
that her training in lab methods and procedures has greatly improved her understanding
of the connection and depth of how patient testing is performed, as well as the importance
of laboratory analysis. As a premed student, she strives to learn more about the biological
and chemical concepts leading to procedures to become a better physician. She has
presented her research at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students;
at the University of Alaska Biomedical Research Conference; the Association of Public Health Laboratories Conference;
and will present at the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Native Americans in
Science Conference in October.
Carrasco has been mentored on several different levels through being a scholar at
BLaST. Through her involvement in Jack Chen’s work at the Alaska State Virology Lab,
she has been mentored extensively by UAF graduate student Jayme Parker. Carrasco has
also found ways to expand her own mentoring capabilities as a peer mentor through
her involvement in the UAF Premedical Society, which she joined as a freshman. In
her past two years as the club’s president, she has enjoyed having the chance to share
her knowledge with underclassmen premed students, as others shared with her when she
was new. An example of peer mentoring, Carrasco was also selected as one of several
BLaST scholar ambassadors, which demonstrates her ability to give guidance to her
peers, and also her ability to represent the BLaST program at outreach events.
More info (PDF)
For more information, please contact reporting and outreach coordinator Amy Topkok
at aktopkok@alaska.edu, or visit the BLaST website at http://alaska.edu/blast/.
BLaST is supported by the NIH with the linked awards TL4GM118992, RL5GM118990, UL1GM118991.