“A virus with only nine genes was able to gain a foothold in the human population and has progressed to such a level that it has brought entire nations to their knees.”
Details
- BA, Biology, cum laude, College of the Holy Cross, 2007
- Researcher, Holy Cross Undergraduate Summer Research Program, 2006
- Intern, Wyeth Biopharma, 2005
- St. Ignatius Scholar, 2003-2007
- Volunteer, Habitat for Humanity and Holy Cross’ Habitat Appalachia Service Program, 2005 and 2006
- Home Country: USA
Eileen Geoghegan BA
PhD Student, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Eileen Geoghegan was a high school senior in 2003 when she read And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts’ landmark 1988 book that chronicled the early years of the AIDS epidemic.
For Geoghegan, the book was a revelation.
“The tragedies accompanying the beginning stages of the AIDS epidemic infuriated me, yet allowed me to gain a deep respect for viruses, particularly HIV,” she says. The book helped Geoghegan to focus her general interest in biology on the study of viruses and moved public health way up on her list of future career paths.
In college, Geoghegan worked on a research project that examined the interaction between a virus and its host, concentrating on a mutagenic study of APOBEC3G, an HIV-fighting protein. She comes to the Bloomberg School eager to indulge her passion for virus research. “While studying either viruses or the immune system by themselves is valuable, it is through better understanding their interaction that advances can be made that will translate into novel anti-viral strategies and improved public health,” she says.
To conduct research in virology or parasitology that can be translated to improving public health