Anna Uehara (PhD Student)
Fort San Cristobal in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Tell us about your path to Duke-NUS.
I graduated with a B.Sc in Neuroscience with Honors and a B.A. in Music, concentrating on flute performance from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, USA. During my undergraduate years, I was a member of Professor Kathleen Page’s lab where I studied the effects of altered melatonin levels on the expression of genes involved in the circadian rhythm. After Bucknell, I started my Masters in Global Health at Duke University, North Carolina, USA. For my thesis project, I went to Sri Lanka and spent some time here at Duke-NUS studying Sri Lanka’s dengue epidemics with Duane Gubler and Christopher Woods. After graduating from Duke, I came to Duke-NUS to enroll in the PhD program focusing on emerging infectious diseases. I am now a member of Wang Linfa and October Sessions’ laboratories focusing on pathogen detection from sequencing and serological platforms.
What are some of your interests and hobbies?
Outside of science, my passion is music. I enjoy freelancing on piano and flute or having jam sessions with friends. I also have a strong case of wanderlust and enjoy traveling around the SE Asia region when time allows.
What’s one thing great about Duke-NUS?
I have enjoyed the more team-based learning approach in the classrooms. It is a privilege to not only learn from professors, but also from your peers, especially when we all have very different backgrounds. It also mimics the “real-life” situation when you work with people of different expertise and perspectives towards a common goal.
Duke-NUS research community at last year's PhD Faculty Appreciation evening
Still want to know more? Contact Anna at anna.uehara@u.duke.nus.edu