Stanford, California, United States
Hi, my name is Willemijn and I am pursing an MD/MS dual degree at Stanford through the Berg Scholars Program. I am curious to understand how the immune system establishes tolerance to ourselves, and how this process becomes dysregulated in various autoimmune diseases. In tandem with my research interests, I am passionate about promoting sustainable partnerships with academic medical institutions and community health clinics. I'm interested in pursuing a career in internal medicine as a physician-scientist, using patient samples to deepen our understanding of autoimmune diseases and advance treatment options through research and clinical trials.
PI: Dr. Mark M. Davis, Stanford Department for Immunity, Transplantation, and Infection (ITI) • Engineer a novel T cell staining technology (“spheromers”) to track T cell kinetics by flow cytometry in mouse model for multiple sclerosis • Determine how Ly49+ CD8 T cells modulate the onset of autoimmunity in several different autoimmune diseases (Celiac, multiple sclerosis, lupus, chronic fatigue syndrome, etc) • Detect antigen-specific T and B cells in formalin-fixed tissue sections by creating new high valency fluorescent probes
* Manage team of 20 medical and undergraduate student volunteers on Telehealth in seeing uninsured and underinsured patients in San Mateo county (1x/month) * Oversee clinic finances, supplies, EMR, IT, data analysis, and quality improvement team * Applied for and was awarded $30,000 grant for quality improvement projects
Remotely coached a small group of Yale students underrepresented in STEM on fundamental calculus and physics principles to prepare them for introductory physics in the fall.
"University Physics: Life Sciences (PHYS 170/171)": tutored undergraduate students in study halls and office hours, led review sessions, graded homework and exams
PI: Dr. Lieping Chen, MD PhD, Department of Immunobiology • Studied a novel small-molecule target for immunotherapy to increase T cell migration into the tumor microenvironment • Awarded Yale College Dean’s Research Fellowship (2018, 2019) and Stacey Leondis Fellowship (2019)