Brandon Bergsneider '20 and Emily Luo '20 Named 2020 Fulbright Scholars

Congratulations to Brandon Bergsneider '20 and Emily Luo '20 who were both named 2020 Fulbright Scholars.

Brandon Bergsneider '20: Brandon, who was born and raised in Los Angeles will be headed to London (UK) in the fall to complete a Master’s in Bioinformatics and Theoretical Systems Biology at Imperial College London. Advisor, Paul Fisher, says "Brandon epitomizes the intellect, altruism, and community attitude that we hope to inspire in our students and is also emblematic of Fulbright scholars.  He will benefit greatly from study and application of advanced statistical methods in regard to biomedical research and explore these in United Kingdom where he will be exposed first hand to global health, universal health care, and patients of diverse backgrounds." Brandon explains that he was inspired to apply for the Fulnright because cancer predisposition runs in his family and he hopes to become a physician-scientist who takes care of patients struggling with cancer. He was also excited by the opportunity to interact with a completely different health care system that provides universal coverage. "I recognize that treatments are only as effective as the number of people who can access them, and I hope to use my time in the UK to learn about ways I can advocate for patient accessibility back home," he said.

Emily Luo '20: Maryland native, Emily is off to Taipei City (Taiwan) where she will be working with Dr. Kuo-Chen Wei at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital on the combination of Focused Ultrasound and Radiation Therapy as a novel treatment for glioblastoma. Her advisor, Paul Fisher, says "I am excited that Emily is eagerly taking on this scientific project within a different cultural environment, and this Fulbright award exemplifies her intellect, maturity, and passion for scientific understanding and advancement without boundaries. This cross-cultural, collaborative research is novel and exemplifies Emily’s bold push to push her scholarship to a level beyond even the best graduate students."