Hello! My name is Perisa Ashar. Thank you for visiting my Grand Challenge Scholars (GCS) e-portfolio!
Hometown: Glen Allen, Virginia
Education: Duke University (Class of 2025)
Program of Study: Double Major in Biomedical Engineering and Biology
GCS Focus: Engineer Better Medicines
My interest spans various fields of scientific inquiry, particularly in the areas of wearable device technology and biomedical informatics. My interest has particularly been drawn towards developing and modifying models to preemptively detect onset of various diseases (such as arrhythmias or heart failure) and predicting survival rates. In my journey of exploring wearable technology and biomedical informatics through research, I’ve encountered significant challenges in its broad adoption. Factors such as the expense associated with consumer wearables and the widespread lack of digital health literacy stand as major impediments to their utilization as tools for illness detection. Additionally, the lack of available clinical data accounting for patients across all demographic variables (gender, race, age, and ethnicity) can cause biases in developing models for properly identifying onset and survival of various diseases. This has led me to understand that the challenges in scientific exploration are not purely scientific but also intersect with other fields.
Being a GCS would offer me a unique opportunity to delve into scientific research with an interdisciplinary strategy. The key to enhancing medicine is to remain focused on its primary goal: forging connections between people and technology while assisting those in need. I am eager to further technological advancements on the scientific front while simultaneously working to bridge the gap in access to these technologies, aiming to create a more equitable health landscape.
