Page 30 - MSM Primarily Caring Magazine

SPOTLIGHTS

Keri Harp

Dual-degree doctoral student making
contributions one small step at a time

eri Harp, a doctoral student at Morehouse lor’s degree, her next destination also had to which endogenously regulate gene expression
KSchool of Medicine, doesn’t like to talk have similar criteria. Since her husband, Nick, in sickle cell disease and malaria. Said anoth-
about herself. But ask her about her dogs, and was born and raised in Atlanta, they packed er way, individuals who carry the sickle cell
she’ll happily chat away. Besides her husband, up the pups and headed to Georgia, with Harp trait are protected against malaria. Harp and
Nick, Harp’s furry friends—11-year-old hus- enrolling in MSM’s dual Ph.D./Master of Clin- her team want to understand what it is that
ky-border collie mix Jack and two Great Dane ical Research degree program. MSM more protects these individuals and determine how
siblings named Layla Sora—are the loves of than satisfied her criteria of a small school this can be translated to others in the same
her life. with a nurturing, familylike environment and or a similar way.
Harp hails from the village of Carol Stream, being mission driven to lead the creation and Harp goes on to candidly proclaim that
Illinois, which is 34 miles west of Chicago and advancement of health equity. she does not have a grand dream of curing
dubbed one of the best places to live in the “That is what Morehouse School of Medicine cancer or even malaria. What she does have
United States. Though she loved her hometown, is,” Harp says. “We are very much a family. I’ve is the grand dream of ensuring that people
Harp considered undergraduate schools in liked my time here, and if I had to do it all over understand that often small discoveries lead
warmer climes. again, I would choose MSM again—and you to big innovations.
After touring several colleges and univer- gotta love the mission.” “The great many small steps that lead to
sities, Harp settled on Mars Hill University, Currently a fifth-year student in the pro- those major leaps are just as important as the
the oldest college in western North Carolina, gram, Harp focuses her research on malaria big breakthroughs,” she says. “And if I can
known for its beautiful Appalachian Mountain and sickle cell disease. Specifically, she in- contribute some of the small steps, then I’ll
vistas. Harp was strong in the sciences, so she vestigates the the role of the exosomal, small know that I have done something.”
majored in biology. After receiving her bache- extracellular vesicles known as microRNA,

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