Throughout my upbringing, my parents and immediate family members were adamant about the prospects afforded by higher education. Above all, they portrayed higher education as the gateway to pursuing a career that I would be passionate about. I took their wisdom and sagacity to heart. I am now looking to advance my academic career through graduate-level scholarship and research focusing on drug discovery and medicinal chemistry. My undergraduate training was centered on nutrition and food science. This is a broad discipline that draws on all of the basic sciences, but places significant emphasis on organic chemistry, biochemistry, and physiology. It was as a result of those studies that medicinal chemistry enticed me. I was keen on acquiring …show more content…
As a graduate student of medicinal chemistry, I hope to explore and bolster my skills in high throughput screening, small molecule synthesis, structure-activity relationship, mass spectrometry, in vivo animal studies, and molecular modeling. The ability to undertake such a vast array of studies and assays makes the process of drug discovery very exciting. Not only will I be concerned with the synthetic phase, but also I will be able to appreciate the effects that my work in the chemical hood will have on biological systems. I intend to devote my academic and professional lives to the discovery of novel approaches to mitigating degenerative disease states. The realms of anti-cancer and neural agents are of particular interest to me and are what I hope to center my career around. The process of drug discovery and clinical trials is extensive. However, knowing that my work as a researcher will impact and reinforce the standard of living for individuals suffering from chronic illnesses is a fulfilling premise. Training and mentoring from the University of Pittsburgh’s renowned research faculty will provide me with the tools, knowledge, and avenues necessary to pursue a PhD upon graduation from the