Leticia Do Amaral

 

My name is Leticia Do Amaral. I was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and I moved to the United States when I was very young. I grew up in Georgia and obtained a B.S. in Biology from the University of Georgia. During my undergrad years, I became acquainted with the world of research and quickly decided that I wanted to pursue a career in this field. After I graduated, I took one year off and got a job as a laboratory technician, and the next year I was given the opportunity to join PREP for the 2022-2023 year cohort. I always had an interest in working with infectious diseases, specifically diseases of poverty. Prior to the beginning of my year with PREP I had experience working with Toxoplasma gondii and Trypanosoma cruzi, both of which are protozoan parasites that cause devastating diseases that particularly impact underdeveloped and impoverished communities. I wanted to further explore this interest in PREP because I knew that this was something that I was passionate about.

I decided to apply for PREP because I knew I wanted to go to graduate school, but I was not sure how to get myself there. During the laboratory rotations, I rotated in several labs with amazing mentors and students. I ended up choosing to join the Cassera lab. Dr. Cassera’s lab studies Plasmodium falciparum, a protozoan parasite that causes Malaria. The lab is in the drug discovery realm and has an objective to look for new drug chemotherapies for the treatment of malaria. Malaria is a serious and sometimes fatal disease that affects primarily pregnant women and children. Malaria in humans can be caused by different species of Plasmodium, with falciparum being the deadliest one. Aside from being a devastating disease that causes severe illness and sometimes death, Malaria is a drain on global economies and infectious disease control organizations. Since it is endemic in primarily poor regions, it creates a cycle of disease that is spread due to poverty and poor infrastructure. Needless to say, it is important to continue to study this disease and endeavor to find novel treatments for it.

My time in PREP was empowering and motivating. I decided that I wanted to stay at the University of Georgia for my graduate studies, so I applied and got in to the Infectious Disease program and I am continuing my work in the Cassera lab. I am still on the fence about career options because there are so many great things that I could do with my degree and experience once I am finished. Nevertheless, I am grateful for my time in PREP, and I attribute a lot of my academic growth to the program.