2023 CUSP graduate Hillina Berhane recently accepted a position as a Postbac fellow for Intramural Research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). In this role, she will conduct research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, under the supervision of Dr. Avindra Nath. Her focus will be investigating the neurological effects of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and its association with cellular senescence.

Hillina graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University, holding a Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a Minor in Chemistry. Having completed a pre-medicine track, she is passionate about pursuing a career in medicine, specifically in the field of Hematology/Oncology. Hillina was a student of the first SenNet CUSP internship, in which she explored her interests in cellular and molecular biology, investigating cellular senescence in aged and irradiated mice liver tissue.

She gained invaluable experiences in vast laboratory techniques, such as IHC, IF, and qPCR, learning from top experts in the field of cellular senescence. The skills and exposure that she acquired during her internship developed her into a competitive candidate for the NIH Postbac program. She looks forward to applying those skills and the knowledge she obtained to her research endeavors at NIH.