KIF1A.ORG Community,
Please help us welcome two interns from the M.A. Program in Biotechnology at Columbia University: Jerry Shen and Michelle Tao! We’re excited to have Jerry and Michelle share their skills and experience with KIF1A.ORG this summer to help advance our mission!
Jerry has an interest in novel technologies such as stem cells and CRISPR. Prior to studying biotechnology, he gained extensive experience working in Silicon Valley, helping to deploy web and cloud technologies, such as websites. Through his internship with KIF1A.ORG, Jerry will be contributing to the development of a symptom tracking app for iPhone and Android devices. The tracker will allow patients and families to conveniently document their symptoms of KIF1A-Associated Neurological Disorder (KAND), which often change over time. This will help families monitor symptoms and strengthen KAND research to improve our clinical trial readiness.
Michelle graduated from NYU Stern with a B.S. in Business (concentrations in Finance and Global Business) and a minor in Genetics. Subsequently, she worked in healthcare banking for five years. This summer, she will be thinking through the scalability of treatments for the KAND community to help KIF1A.ORG advance our therapeutic development strategy. As we continue to progress in development, it’s important to keep accessibility of these treatments in mind. The unique combination of Michelle’s experience and interest in finance and biotech will help KIF1A.ORG tackle this challenge.
Jerry and Michelle were first introduced to KIF1A.ORG through a seminar in biotechnology taught by Dr. Lili Yamasaki, Director of the Biotechnology M.A. and Post Baccalaureate Programs at Columbia University. They will be working full time for nine weeks this summer, giving KIF1A.ORG a boost in capacity to focus on these important initiatives. Thank you to Jerry and Michelle for joining our urgent mission!
Relentlessly,
Kathryn Atchley
President, KIF1A.ORG
kathryn@kif1a.org