2024 Biochemistry Outstanding Senior and DOS Robie Gold Medal Recipient: Shinhye Chloe Park

Shinhye Chloe Park is graduating summa cum laude with a B.S. in Biochemistry as a recipient of the 2024 Biochemistry Outstanding Senior award and DOS Robie Gold Medal Recipient this spring. Originally from South Korea, Chloe's transformative journey began when she moved to Tucson as a teenager. Starting her academic journey at Pima Community College, she was able to continue her studies at the University of Arizona, thanks to various opportunities and supportive communities.

Guided by mentors who recognized her resilience and dedication, Chloe developed a strong aspiration for mentorship and community service. Her involvement as a CBC ambassador, peer mentor, and preceptor for several courses deepened her passion for supporting others in their educational journeys. Chloe's dedication to community service extended to volunteering at the Diaper Bank of Southern Arizona and handcrafting chemocaps for cancer patients in our community through BagItCancer.

Since summer 2021, Chloe has been conducting research in Dr. Anita Koshy's lab through UBRP, focusing on the parasite, Toxoplasma gondii and its effects on the central nervous system of humans and rodents. Selected as a BRAVO! participant in 2023, she continued her research internationally at the University of Glasgow. Her senior thesis explores the role of a hypothetical protein in the parasite’s mechanism to persist in the brain, evading the immune response. Following graduation, she plans to publish her findings while working as a research technician in
the Koshy lab.

Her decision to pursue medicine was influenced by her internship at SPARCC, a rehabilitation center for concussion patients, where she witnessed patients’ transformative journeys, particularly individuals recovering from motor vehicle collisions and student-athletes. Chloe also participated in the Patient Experience Internship at Banner University Medical Center, proactively meeting with hospitalized patients to communicate their needs to the providers in the emergency department and post-transplant unit.

Chloe envisions a career dedicated to equitable access to healthcare and bridging the gap between scientific research and clinical practice, integrating patient care, mentoring for academic medicine, and research.

“Thank you, U of A! Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat.”