Sameera Chiruvolu recently capped off her first year as an undergraduate student at Case Western Reserve University by presenting on her research findings during the spring Intersections symposium.
While early research opportunities are a hallmark of the undergraduate experience at CWRU, Chiruvolu’s studies began as a high school student in Dallas. Working alongside mentors at Baylor University Medical Center, Chiruvolu studied the effects of probiotics on very preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Upon matriculating to CWRU in fall 2024, Chiruvolu continued her work from afar, ultimately contributing to the discovery that introducing “good bacteria” to the gut of preterm infants holds potential to prevent serious infections. Chiruvolu recently had the opportunity to present her findings at a meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies.
She further developed her skills and knowledge of the basics of clinical research and epidemiological concepts by working on another project that explored the rise in prevalence of infants contracting syphilis from their mothers. Their research findings indicated a gap in maternal testing, treatment of and care for the condition.
“These projects made me realize that solving a problem boils down to having an in-depth understanding of the environment and behavior of the system,” said Chiruvolu, who is majoring in biochemistry.
Chiruvolu now looks to continue expanding her research experiences. Learn more about her with a Q&A.
Answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
1. What drew you to CWRU?
The beautiful urban campus, numerous opportunities for collaboration and open curriculum drew me to CWRU. As my interest is in pre-medicine, having the medical school and the hospitals within walking distance is inspiring. There are ample opportunities to volunteer, shadow and perform research. Another important factor was CWRU’s amazing choir program.
2. What interested you in pursuing a degree in biochemistry?
As a student, I am driven by curiosity and passion toward solving problems that have a meaningful impact on life and society at large. A few years back, my grandfather was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. His constant quest to overcome this debilitating disease inspires me to pursue a career in the field of medicine with a goal to explore prevention strategies for chronic neurodegenerative diseases. I aspire to major in biochemistry in college with an intention to thoroughly learn biological factors, chemical imbalances, and their complex interactions that play an important role in the genesis of neurodegenerative diseases.
3. What was it like presenting at Intersections as a first-year student?
It was a great experience as a first-year student to present at Intersections. I appreciate CWRU for providing multiple amazing avenues for the students to showcase their projects. I enjoyed talking about the project, meeting other students and faculty and discussing science. The feedback I received will help me in my future endeavors.
4. What have been the biggest findings from your research so far? Where do you hope to take it from here?
The main findings from our research are that the development of good bacteria in the gut may lead to decreased death and infection in premature infants. This gives hope that creating good microbiomes or preventing the development of bad microbiomes early in life may prevent future chronic diseases. The interaction between gut microbiota and various organ systems influencing health and disease is already established. The question is how early this interaction happens and how we can make this a positive one. Laboratory and clinical research studies are key to study such communications.
5. Are there any other research topics that you’d like to pursue?
At CWRU, I want to get involved in laboratory research and study the effect of microbes and their metabolites on the mammalian intestine. I also intend to continue my clinical research quest utilizing big data analytics on projects to study the genesis and associations of chronic debilitating diseases from large datasets that can lead to effective prevention and early treatment strategies.
6. How have you been involved at CWRU in other ways?
I had this amazing opportunity to participate in the Case Concert Choir. It was a great experience to sing under the guidance of our wonderful choir director with other extremely talented choir mates. It was a dream come true for me to perform at the famous Maltz Performing Arts Center. I wish to continue my choir journey throughout my undergraduate years at CWRU.
I have been involved in various clubs and organizations: WISER, The Undergraduate Diversity Collaborative, Undergraduate Research Society and the Case Cancer Initiative. These clubs created a great avenue to meet students from different grade levels and talk about common interests and work toward individual goals.
7. What was the best part of your first year?
The best part was meeting different people and participating in and enjoying various events at CWRU. I am so grateful for the new friends that I made this year. I also cherish the time I had to keep up with my old friends. These friendships are going to last a lifetime.
8. Are you working on research or interning this summer?
I am excited to work as a research intern this summer in a large research institute in Texas. I am looking forward to getting familiarized with ethical and regulatory standards and understanding the clinical research workflow. I will be learning/assisting in various aspects of clinical trials including data collection, creation of database, assisting with writing and/or reviewing protocols, observing onsite/field monitoring, and observing drug/device accountings.