Education
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (JHUSOM)
Baltimore, Maryland
M.D. expected 05/2022
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
B.S. in Biology and Spanish, 2018
Dean’s List for 8 semesters
Neurology Research
JHUSOM, Department of Neurology
Research Assistant, 09/2021 – Present
Advisor: Dr. Gloria Hua
Project: Interaction of FUS protein and RNA in ALS patients
- Performed electrophoretic mobility shift assays using FUS and RNA variants
- Measured tendency for phase separation of FUS mutants in vivo and in vitro
JHUSOM, Department of Neurology
Research Assistant, 07/2018 – 06/2021
Advisor: Dr. Agatha Cristian
Project: Clinical outcomes of cenabomate for treatment of epilepsy
- Administered cenabomate for phase II clinical trial
- Recorded and analyzed data using the statistical software R
University of Washington, Department of Biology
Student Researcher, 08/2014 – 05/2018
Advisor: Dr. John Charcot
Project: Signaling pathways as drug targets for primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Designed experiments to measure MAPK activity during various stages and types of MS
- Managed a team of 4 undergraduates to identify potential targets in the MAPK pathway
Honors, Awards, Grants
Henry Strong Denison Outstanding Student Research Award, 2022
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Award for best research out of podium presenters at the Medical Student Research Symposium
Dean’s Year of Research, 2021
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
12-month graduate student stipend for medical students to conduct full-time laboratory research
Dr. Donald Kelts Family Scholarship, 2017
University of Washington
$1,500 for tuition and other educational expenses for juniors and seniors pursuing medicine
Publications
Luz, A., Han, T., Goldberg, S. et al. Characterization of secondary structure of FUS-binding RNAs in familial and sporadic ALS. XXX Journal. 2021; 000(1): 221-230. PMID: XXXXXXXX
Myerson, A., McNally, W., Luz, A. et al. A long-term safety study of orally-administered cenobamate in epilepsy patients. XXX Journal. 2019; 111(1): 90-101. PMID: XXXXXXXX
Luz, A., Chan, A., Reggie, K., et al. Role of increased MAPK signaling in myelin thickening. XXX Journal. 2019; 222(7): 150-174. PMID: XXXXXXXX
Presentations
Luz, A. Characterization of secondary structure of FUS-binding RNAs in ALS. Presented at JHUSOM Medical Student Research Symposium, Baltimore, MD, May 2021.
Luz, A. Optimization of cenobamate administration for reduced side-effects in epilepsy patients. Presented at International Conference of Neurology and Brain Disorders, Paris, France, June 2019.
Luz, A. Novel targeting of MAPK signaling for the treatment of primary progressive multiple sclerosis. Poster presented at West Coast Biological Science Undergraduate Research Conference, Moraga, CA, April 2018.
Relevant Work Experience
STEM Achievement in Baltimore Elementary Schools (SABES), Instructional Coach
Baltimore, MD
2018 – 2020
ScribeAmerica, Medical Scribe
Seattle, Washington
2015 – 2018
Relevant Volunteer Experience
JHUSOM
Vaccine Drive Intake Coordinator, 2021 – present
- Checked in patients for monthly COVID-19 and flu vaccine drives
- Prepared doses and administered vaccines
Jones Memorial Hospital Rehabilitation Center
Physical Therapy Aid, 2018 – 2019
- Directed recovering stroke victims through physical therapy
- Performed calisthenic tests to regularly assess physical therapy regime for ~100 patients
Grey Matters (UW Undergraduate Neuroscience Journal)
Editor, 2017 – 2018
- Reviewed submissions for publication four times a year (~40 submissions per edition)
- Performed final content and copy editing for accepted submissions
- Oversaw layout and design
Professional Associations
JHU-UMB SACNAS Chapter
American Neurological Association (ANA)
American Medical Student Association (AMSA)
Interests
Spanish (advanced): Comfortable translating medical information and giving diagnoses in Spanish
Tennis: 10 years playing, volunteer coach at the Y in Baltimore City
Guitar: Lead guitarist in medical student-led band The Axons