Georgetown College. Georgetown University.

Kamilla Esfahani says Dr. Moasser has helped her understand the fundamentals of research. (Photo: Roland Dimaya)

By Dayo Akinwande

Acquiring a well-rounded education is one of the main reasons why Kamilla Esfahani, now a sophomore majoring in Neurobiology, decided to attend Georgetown University. Such a desire is reflected in her decision to conduct research in chemistry during her first year, despite majoring in Biology at the time. A meeting with Dr. Bahram Moasser was all it took for Esfahani to join in his biomedical chemistry research. In Dr. Moasser’s lab, she specifically worked on creating MRI contrast agents built around a gadolinium compound. And as recently as last summer, she worked with an anesthesiologist at the University of Washington on the study of nerve blocks.

“We used ultrasound to visualize patients’ sciatic and saphenous nerves, which are located in the back of the knee,” says Esfahani, explaining the nature and significance of her summer work. “This technique is a new frontier for anesthesiologists. It promises to be a more effective process of nerve blocking, which is injecting anesthesia around specific nerves to numb up a region of the body.”

So far, Esfahani is building up an impressive resume. She received first and second semester honors during her first year and is certified as an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician)-Basic for the District of Columbia. Her certification helps in her volunteer work for the Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service, a student-run, all-volunteer ambulance service that serves Georgetown University and its surrounding communities. Her current activities are geared toward further study as a medical student specializing in either anesthesiology or radiology, and, depending on the field she eventually chooses, conducting her own research.

“I am positive that I will come across the research I did here at some point in my medical career,” says Esfahani. She has learned a lot in two years: the fundamentals of conducting research, managing a research project, and the interconnections between disciplines in the sciences. She credits her academic and professional growth to Dr. Moasser for being an outstanding, patient, and approachable mentor.

“Dr. Moasser is too sophisticated to be summarized in one trait,” says Esfahani. “He exemplifies Georgetown and is exactly what I envisioned a Georgetown professor would be. We are very lucky to have him here!”

Fluent in four languages and having traveled to more than 20 countries, an international perspective permeates her aspirations as a medical doctor.

“Having been raised in Germany where healthcare is free, I hope to promote that idea on a global scale once I join the medical community,” says Esfahani.

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