Serena Wu’s passion for science was formed with the loss of her grandmother to cancer, at just 6 years old, and strengthened with her grandfather’s diagnosis of diabetes. In high school, she deepened her understanding of disease development and the risk factors that can affect the lifespan, learning how environmental factors can turn epigenetic tags on and off, potentially causing cancer in one identical twin but not the other. While Serena was in her junior year at UC Irvine’s Pharmacy Science program, she was seeking an internship to immerse herself in hands-on research. This led her to one of University Lab Partner’s (ULP) resident incubator companies, Scientific Horizons Consulting (SHC), who is working on innovative technologies to improve how medicine is delivered. ULP’s classes offered “invaluable real-world skills and experience”.
Stepping into ULP’s incubator facility, Serena discovered the transformative hands-on classes offered through ULP’s workforce development program. These courses provided her with invaluable real-world skills and experience and moved her from an intern at SHC to a part-time role Research Associate, quite an accomplishment for an undergraduate student. Recently, Serena’s journey took a remarkable turn. She applied for the National Institute of Health (NIH) Postbaccalaureate Program and emerged as one of only 15 students chosen nationwide for a coveted one-year Fellowship. Starting June 2024, Serena will work side-by-side with some of the leading scientists in the world, in an environment devoted exclusively to biomedical research. Serena shared that the” hands-on experience from ULP’s classes and working in SHC’s lab at the ULP Incubator really gave her an edge in the NIH competition”. Her passion for a diabetes cure isn’t just a dream but a beacon of hope for millions. Serena Wu is poised to revolutionize global health and well-being.
26 University Lab Partners 2023 Annual Report | Breakthroughs Today, Careers Tomorrow
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