Essence Henderson

I am a recent graduate of Alcorn State University where I was recognized as cum laude with a Bachelors of Science degree in Chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry. At Alcorn State Unviversiy, I served as a research assistant for ten months. My research involved creating a sensitive sensor that would detect many pathogens in food an water. My first research experience took place in Bangalore, India, at St. Johns Research Institute, where I accessed the evoked potentials of subclinical vitamin B12 young adults and compared them to the evoked potentials of young adults with normal B12 levels. I also had the opportunity to perform summer research at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. My project involved synthesizing sol-gels that would exhibit enhanced mechanical properties to withstand the tribiological stresses and serve as scaffolds in cartilage regrowth. This past summer, I participated in the Summer Research Opportunity Program at the University of Illinois. My research involved comparing the cytotoxic effects of different size organic nanoparticles, in different concentrations, on HeLa cells. I am currently a graduate student at Saint Louis University where I am pursuing a Masters of Science degree in Health Sciences. I have an ultimate goal of obtaining both an M.D. and Ph.D.. I later plan to practice medicine at a teaching hospital while conducting research in one of the life sciences.