Assal Hakhamjani
Undergraduate College/University: CUNY Queens
As an undergraduate I did research with Dr. Natalie Glickman Holtzman. We studied Zebra fish to demonstrate the relationship between the myocardium, epicardium, and the endocardium and how they evolved and eventually came in contact. We dissected the zebra fish at specific ages in order to record the location of each layer of the heart. We used different biological markers for each layer as an identification tool. Our goal was to figure out at which stage did the heart complete its formation and was ready to be biologically and physiologically functional.
I am currently working with Dr. Fred Ferguson and the cleft palate team. Each child is examined at the day of visit and an oral health form is filled out. Based on the form and the data collected from the parents, our goal is determine if children with cleft lip/palate are more prone to oral health complications than non-cleft children.
