Directory

As an infectious disease epidemiologist, I conduct research focusing on vaccines and vaccine-preventable diseases. I aim to understand the transmission dynamics of infectious diseases, to assess the impact of vaccines and vaccination programs, and to determine optimal strategies for communicable disease prevention and control. Currently, I am an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at McGill University.

Previous Education

Princeton University A.B. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 2003

Links

http://www.nicolebasta.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-e-basta

I completed my undergrad in Behavioral Neuroscience at Northeastern University and my Master’s as a Fulbright grantee in Cognitive Neuroscience at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. I am currently an MD/PhD student at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. During my academic journey, I have researched topics ranging from exercise’s effects on cognition to the neural mechanisms underlying social behaviors to quantifying inter-subject and inter-session fMRI variability. Inspired by the children I now help treat, I aim to build on my past research and clinical experiences by pursuing a PhD in Medical Science at Cambridge’s MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit. There, I will investigate the relationship between electrophysiological findings, clinical phenotypes, and connectivity profiles underlying neurodevelopmental disorders linked to synaptic vesicle cycling genes. My goal is to become a physician-scientist who bridges international neuroscience research and pediatric care, translating research into therapies that improve the lives of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. I am honored and excited to work with my fellow Gates Cambridge scholars to create meaningful, global change in our respective fields.

Previous Education

Northeastern University Behavioral Neuroscience
Maastricht University Cognitive Neuroscience
UofA for Medical Sciences Medicine

I am a medical student at Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota on a lovely public health academic leave, originally from Phoenix, Arizona. In pursuing a career as a public health physician, I hope to focus on addressing social determinants of health and women’s health issues, whether through work with an NGO or with a government agency. In medical school, I have been privileged to work with clinicians in multiple research projects, including examining post-partum depression outcomes, family planning educational models, medical students’ attitudes in service projects, and a humanities based anatomy project. I was also able to research domestic violence and public health in South Africa for one year as part of an undergraduate study abroad program focused on service learning; I have continued to work with women experiencing domestic violence in the Rochester community and focused a dance education project on domestic violence issues in Arizona.

My first hands-on exposure to international health was as an undergraduate student researching Lassa fever in Sierra Leone. However, it was after working with a non-governmental organization in Colombia that I became fully aware of the increasing burden of cancer in regions also affected by infectious diseases. I am currently a medical student at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and aim to be involved in the development of cancer prevention and treatment infrastructures in low and middle income countries. At Cambridge I will be studying for an MPhil in Oncology.

Previous Education

Tulane University of Louisiana
University of Pennsylvania

For much of my life, my endeavours have been fuelled by a love of learning. Thus, as an undergraduate, I frequently pursued courses and research experiences that went beyond my primary field of Biological Sciences, allowing me to gain knowledge in a diverse range of disciplines. My experiences left me with a deep appreciation of how different disciplines can complement one another in an intricate heterosis of knowledge, and it is my wish that future generations would also be able to experience the same joy in learning that I have known all my life. As such, in my pursuit of a PhD in Psychology, I hope to contribute to intervention techniques to help children for whom learning might not come easily. I believe targeting developmental language disorder and dyslexia would be a wonderful start in encouraging learning, as it is often our ability to comprehend language that allows us to understand new concepts in the first place.

Previous Education

Nanyang Technological University Biological Sciences 2020

I was born and raised in Los Angeles and attended the University of California, Los Angeles, where I completed a B.A. in Anthropology, with a minor in Spanish and Chicana/o Studies. From the start, it was clear that I love history! And I am excited by the prospect of being in the same spaces where ancient people once lived and grappling with the essence of those who came before us. At the University of Cambridge I will study the Archaeology of the Americas, with a particular focus on North America and Mesoamerica. My experiences and coursework at UCLA have equipped me with a deep appreciation for the complexities within the various social and ethnic groups which compose Los Angeles, California, and beyond. My purpose in studying Archaeology is to dig deeper (literally and figuratively!) into the history of underrepresented and indigenous communities, attempting to understand what exactly is our past, and how we can use it to plan and perfect our future. I’m excited and honored to be joining the Gates Cambridge community and attend the University of Cambridge, and hope to contribute to all the historically significant impacts made by scholars worldwide.

Previous Education

University of California Los Angeles Anthropology