Research in the medical field has been becoming more and more important as treatment has evolved significantly since the pandemic began.
High school student Sung- joon Kim, who currently studies at Korea International School, jumped at the opportu- nity to research and partook in unique medical research with Dr. Sujata Bhatia, a research professor at The Drexel Univer- sity – College of Medicine. Dr. Bhatia attains a medical degree and Ph.D. in bioengineering, with an area of specialization in biomaterials and implantable medical devices.
Sungjoon was deeply inter- ested in the medical field and cardiology since the eighth grade after his first academic research project, and he states that it “really opened his eyes to medical research, especially in the biomedical engineering field.”
Sungjoon and Dr. Bhatia
conducted full research on how the COVID-19 pandemic af- fected adverse treatments in the medical field, specifically heart diseases.
Sungjoon was able to utilize the database provided by the FDA, paired with great guid- ance and resources provided by Dr. Bhatia.
It was a unique and reward- ing experience for him as his research was awarded at the Sigma Xi competition. He was awarded the top presenter among a group of high school, college, and graduate students. The preparation process was challenging but rewarding.
After submitting the research paper and an abstract portion, Sungjoon was accepted into the competition, in which he pre- sented his research and thesis on an open-ended question with an unknown answer.
“The greatest thing about working with Sungjoon was that he brought this level of seriousness and profession- alism to his approach to the topic,” stated Dr. Bhatia. Dr. Bhatia worked with Sungjoon throughout the entire online
research and provided him with guidance to ensure a smooth re- search process.
It was not only a reward-
ing process for the student, but Dr. Bhatia also had an unfor- gettable experience. Dr. Bha- tia stated, “It’s always fun to
work with younger students them the confidence to solve because you can see them de- any open-ended question.” velop and see their passion
for the field. It helps to give
KEVIN YEO
Journalist,Admission AG
