Our Women in Medicine Program with Mercy High School - Baltimore introduces and inspires high school students to peruse careers in Healthcare. "The goal of this four-year program is to expose students to outstanding women leaders in health-related careers, to broaden their knowledge of medical fields, and to expand their understanding of the qualities and skills necessary to be a successful healthcare professional." (Taken from the Mercy High School website). We're thrilled to learn about stories like Olivia's.
Having completed Mercy's Women in Medicine Program in partnership with Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, MD, Olivia Hatcher '21 was well prepared to begin studying neuroscience at The Johns Hopkins University! While working in the neonatal neuroscience lab at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Olivia began a self-directed project to explore therapeutic targets for neurodegeneration after hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The most common brain injury among newborns, HIE is characterized by a lack of oxygen and blood to the brain at birth. Olivia's research has focused on removing an enzyme called SARM1 to prevent further brain injury, and it has been successful in animal models! Over the summer, Olivia traveled to Marstrand, Sweden where she attended the 14th annual Hershey Conference on Brain Development. One of two undergraduate students in attendance, Olivia presented her SARM1 research and out of more than 170 presentations, her research won one of four prizes accompanied by a grant from The National Institutes of Health. We are so proud of you, Olivia! Congratulations on this breakthrough! We can't wait to see what you accomplish next!