I remember sitting down a few years ago to write what was the most important essay of my life – my personal statement for college. With just 500 words, I recounted how my life experiences had led to my interest in biomedical engineering, particularly how engineering solutions have the potential to address barriers to quality healthcare for marginalized communities. However, throughout my time in college, I stumbled upon the fact that many treatments never reach the people who could benefit the most from it, and this is something many engineers do not expect or account for. That is why it stood out to me when I heard Dr. Joshua Leonard speak about access to treatment at Northwestern University this past summer. I decided to interview Dr. Leonard to dig deeper. Read more…

Vaccines are tools of modern medicine used in keeping us safe and healthy from the spread of disease. The science of vaccination has come a long way in the last 200 years since the first vaccine, the smallpox vaccine, was developed in 1796. As science has developed, so too has the role of the public in deciding whether or not to get vaccinated against preventable diseases. This includes you, too! The amount of information available to us in making these decisions can be overwhelming, especially if we don’t understand the science. 

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