Senior Dr. Vivek Samar presented the research at the annual neurosurgeons conference. Provided by: Jeff Fitlow
When Vivek Samar was a high school senior, she competed in the Houston Regional Brain Bee, a neuroscience competition held at Rice. Five years later, Samar is a senior at Rice University and presenting his research on subarachnoid hemorrhage at a neurosurgeons conference.
Samar, a neuroscience major, said he was naturally drawn to the topic because of its focus on the complexity of the brain.
“We don’t know much about the brain,” said Samal, a senior at Baker University. “There’s a lot you can do in neuroscience…and I don’t think many other fields can do it.”
Samar, who grew up in Sugar Land, Texas, began working in the lab at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston during high school. For the past three years, Dr. Samal’s lab has focused on reducing blood clotting caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage, a stroke that occurs when a blood vessel on the surface of the brain ruptures.
“A lot of what we’re doing right now is work in mice. We’re testing therapeutics in mice and seeing how they reduce platelet aggregation and, in turn, reduce (the risk of) stroke. We are checking to see if that is the case,” Samar said.
Recognizing the potential for new treatments and drugs, Samar hopes his research can be used to improve patient care.
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“I think there’s a lot of potential and scope for creating new drugs and treatments that could someday help people,” Samal said.
Samal presented his research at the CNS Annual Meeting, held from September 28 to October 2 in Houston, Texas. Attendees included former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk.
Samar said it was an educational moment to speak to an audience of prominent figures and renowned surgeons.
“I think it was a satisfying experience to be able to present to and learn from people at a higher level than me in the same session where I spoke,” said Samar. Ta.
Samal said Rice’s strength lies in its resources for research.
“Excellence in research is what I really like about Rice,” Samal said. “I don’t think I would have been able to do that at any other school.”
Beyond his research activities, Samar said his fondest memories at Rice come from spontaneous hangouts with friends.
“The other day, we happened to decide to go to Chinatown to eat (in the middle of the night),” Samar said. “I think these are some of the memories that you don’t realize you’re making, but later you realize that they were the core memories of your college years.”
After graduating, Samar plans to take a gap year to further his studies, then attend medical school and eventually pursue a career in neurosurgery. Samal said he would like to put his research into practice at the hospital and continue his research on cerebrovascular disease.
“I hope to collaborate with the lab in some capacity during medical school and beyond,” Samal said. “Of course, that’s kind of a lofty goal, but I hope my research will eventually get me there.”
