Fellow:Chigozie Christine Dike
Chigozie Dike is originally from Houston, Texas, and currently attends Xavier University of Louisiana. She is a senior Biology major with a minor in Chemistry. As an aspiring physician, Chigozie has been actively involved on her campus and in her community. A few volunteer organizations she has helped with include Ochsner Hospital, the Audobon Zoo, New Orleans AIDS Taskforce, and Catholic Charities non-profit organization. On campus, she has held many leadership roles in clubs such as the NAACP Xavier Chapter, Homecoming Event Chair, African Student Union and the XU-LOVE mentoring program. She is curently a tutor in the Biology Resource Center and continues to participate in medical research in the Biology department. For the past three years, she has worked under Dr. Partha Bhattacharjee in his focus to study the receptor mechanisms involved in diabetic retinopathy. Dr. Bhattacharjee obtained a patent in 2009 and is in the process of receiving another one for his work on a novel peptide drug that can be used for hyperglycemic patients.
Chigozie has received admission into the Unversity of Texas Health Sciences Center, where she will begin medical school in Fall 2014. She wants to continue biomedical research in medical school and learn more about diabetes. Her goals are to to start an effective outreach program for diabetic individuals in the community while being involved in efficient and affordable ways to treat it.
Chigozie is passionate about life and the power of creativity. Some of her hobbies include listening to music, learning about different cultures and movies. As a Spring 2014 University Innovation Fellow, Chigozie hopes to inspire the younger students on her campus to pursue an entrpreneurial mindset. She believes that contribution from all disciplines can truly leave a positive impact in society. She hopes that this experience will not only help her school, but give her the knowledge needed to formulate her own future ideas as well.
