Rohith Kesaraju

Experience

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  University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center

  Sept 2016 - May 2018

  High School Research Assistant in Subbarao Bondada Lab

  I researched a novel mechanism by which common but ineffective Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) therapeutic ABT-199 functions and enhanced this mechanism through drug combinations to better decrease CLL cell viability. With a poster representation of this work, I competed in the Kentucky state science fairs for two years and won prizes both years. I wrote a research paper titled, “Role of Oxidative Stress in the Therapeutic Effects of ABT-199 in CLL.”

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  Kumon North America, Inc.

  Aug 2017 - May 2018

  Math and Reading Tutor

  I tutored children ranging from ages 3 to 18 in the subjects of math and reading throughout all grade levels.

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  OneFifteen

  Jul 2019 - Aug 2019

  Clinical Design Intern

  As it was being designed at the time, OneFifteen showed me how standard addiction care can be reimagined. I assisted the medical director, program manager, and others in research and planning for the treatment program. I wondered how to help patients who left stay sober, so I researched, wrote, and presented about effective aftercare methods for addiction for the board.

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  Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement

  Apr 2020 - May 2022

  Civic Scholar

  After being selected as a civic scholar by the Gephardt Institute, I took courses on civic engagement that enabled me to develop Recovery Through Connection, a project born from my goal to treat the addiction I saw in my community. This project focused on empowering the recently incarcerated—a population highly vulnerable to fatal overdose—to avoid relapse. Through research and conversations with recent inmates, I learned that communicating with care providers is difficult after release. This led me to create a smartphone donation campaign through which I collected and refurbished 50 smartphones. I was able to provide the smartphones to recent inmates at a Salvation Army treatment center. Show less

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  National Institutes of Health (NIH): Intramural Research Program (IRP)

  May 2020 - Aug 2021

  2020/2021 NIH Amgen Scholar

  As a virtual intern of the Integrative Neuroscience Section, I taught myself Python programming and characterized sex differences in spatial memory task-learning deficits in mice with a Schizophrenia risk allele. I presented this work as a virtual poster at the Amgen scholars symposium to scientists in the field. Through Amgen workshops and the global symposium, I learned about health policy development and wrote a policy brief about a continuing education intervention for teachers to address early onset psychiatric disease. Show less

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  Addiction Policy Forum

  May 2020 - Sept 2020

  Research Intern, Practicum Student, and Staff Writer

  As a virtual intern, I wrote literature reviews about substance abuse treatment in prisons, re-entry care after release, and biomedical advances in addiction treatment. My writing informed care providers and policy makers. The work I valued the most was analyzing community reports on overdoses early in the COVID-19 pandemic. With my research, I wrote an article published on the APF website about COVID-19’s impact on substance abuse.

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  Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

  Jan 2021 - May 2022

  With Dr. Brian Ruyle, I studied the peripheral mechanisms underlying opioid-induced respiratory depression, a leading cause of overdose death. I spent three years working with rodents, isolating their brains and examining specific protein expression. My efforts culminated in a senior honors thesis and a poster presentation at the undergraduate research symposium. In the pediatric emergency room, I spoke with and enrolled patients and their families in research studies. I listened to patients’ stories and addressed their misconceptions about hospital-based research. Enrolling helped me learn how to recognize patients’ emotional states and communicate in a comforting manner, leaving patients satisfied.

  • Research Assistant in Jose Moron-Concepcion Lab

    Jan 2019 - May 2022

  • Pediatric Emergency Medical Research Associate

    Jan 2021 - May 2021
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  Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program

  Sept 2022 - Jun 2023

  BHCHP AmeriCorps: OneCare Housing Specialist/Transitions Care Coordinator