By Sean Park
Since he was a child, 糖心vlog视频 sophomore Djelli Berisha has known he wanted to go into medicine when he grew up. Born in the United States with family in Albania, he remembers hearing about his relatives suffering at times because there was no access to health care in Dubov毛 e vog毛l, the small village where they live.
鈥淎s I got older, I became more aware of disparities in health care,鈥 said Berisha. 鈥淚 want to work to create more access to medicine and to finding solutions to global health issues.鈥
He also has a particular interest in studying the heart 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 the organ that powers everything.鈥
He got one step closer to his dream of a career in cardiology when he was awarded a 2019 summer fellowship through the University of Washington鈥檚 Institute for. Berisha is the first UW Bothell student to receive this honor and one of only five students a year across the three UW campuses.
Learning from the best
To expand their research opportunities and help prepare them for their careers, fellows receive a stipend, waived tuition and the opportunity to participate in speaking engagements and public outreach.
Berisha wanted first-hand experience early in his college studies to help decide whether he would pursue a career in research or patient care. He also had heard that having lab experience would be beneficial when applying to medical school.
He had been reaching out to local hospitals about volunteer opportunities when he learned of the fellowship in a biology class taught by Bryan White, senior lecturer in Biological Sciences in the School of STEM. 鈥淭he goal of UW Bothell’s participation was to pick an exceptional young undergraduate student in their sophomore year who might not have felt traditionally represented in science,鈥 said White.
鈥淭his fellowship meant a lot to me,鈥 said Berisha, who is majoring in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. 鈥淚t was really empowering to be part of this program and learn from some of the best scientific minds in Seattle.
鈥淕etting paid while doing research in this field,鈥 he said, 鈥漺as a dream come true.鈥
Opening hearts, expanding minds
Almost every day last summer, Berisha spent hours at the institute鈥檚 Heart & Muscle Mechanics Lab, where he was mentored by Dr. Farid Moussavi-Harami, assistant professor of Medicine/Cardiology; and Kristina Kooiker, research scientist.
The hands-on experience was exactly what he wanted: 鈥淚 did experiments with heart cells from mice, first dissecting them, then cutting open their hearts.鈥
His contributions were part of a lab project that aims to expand understanding of a specific pathway in the DNA sequence that may be able to help prevent heart failure.
Berisha built on previous research alongside his mentors and other students. 鈥淚t鈥檚 definitely a trial-and-error process. We would try one test based on what we already knew, then use those results to inform the next test,鈥 he said.
鈥淚 had no idea that I would have such an incredible opportunity after my first year in college.鈥
The heart of it all
Berisha still volunteers at the lab twice a week. He says he is inspired by learning from experts in their field and motivated by the advanced work he is doing.
The regular commute to Seattle is on top of the 12 hours Berisha spends on the UW Bothell campus every weekday. In addition to his studies, he is director of student advocacy for the Associated Students of UW Bothell. 鈥淚 ran for office at the start of my sophomore year because I wanted to be more involved on campus,鈥 he said. 鈥淚n my role, I enjoy advocating for my fellow students and listening to what鈥檚 important to them.鈥
Does he worry about his over-full schedule affecting his heart?
鈥淚鈥檓 careful about managing my schedule,鈥 he said, 鈥淲hile my weekdays are packed, I purposely never plan anything heavy on the weekends. I play tennis, hang out with my friends and catch up on my sleep.鈥
His goals keep him going. 鈥淚 want to contribute to solving some of the world鈥檚 biggest health issues,鈥 Berisha said. 鈥淚鈥檓 hoping that pursuing cardiology will lead me to help expand equitable health care in rural communities, like the one my family is from in Albania.鈥
