Senior Biology Major Conducts Cancer Research at Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital

BOSTON — Alabama A&M University senior Jamie Pearl Chea spent her summer conducting biomedical research on leukemia cells at a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital, gaining hands-on experience that is shaping her ambitions in health care and scientific research.

Chea, a biology major from Monrovia, Liberia, was selected as part of the inaugural 2026 cohort of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Cech Fellows Summer Undergraduate Research Program, a highly competitive summer research initiative that brought together 176 undergraduate students from across the United States.

According to Alabama A&M University, from June 15 through Aug. 14, Chea conducted full-time research in the laboratory of Dr. Shingo Kajimura at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital in Boston.

Her research examined how leukemia cell lines respond to temperature stress, with a particular focus on differences in cellular responses to cold and heat.

“Being selected for the Cech Fellows program was a significant accomplishment for me because it gave me the opportunity to step outside of the classroom and contribute to research in a top professional biomedical setting,” Chea said.

“As an international student from Liberia attending an HBCU, being able to represent Alabama A&M University in a research environment at a major medical institution was especially meaningful to me.”

During the nine-week fellowship, Chea gained practical experience in biomedical research, analyzed experimental data, worked alongside scientists and presented her findings.

The experience also strengthened her ability to troubleshoot experiments, think critically about scientific questions and communicate research findings.

“I learned how to think more critically as a scientist, troubleshoot experiments, analyze data and communicate scientific findings,” she said. “Most importantly, I learned that research requires patience, consistency, curiosity and a willingness to learn from unexpected results.”

Chea entered the fellowship with research experience developed at Alabama A&M under the guidance of Dr. Qunying Yuan. That background helped her identify laboratories whose research matched her scientific interests and career goals.

As part of the fellowship selection process, students ranked participating laboratories according to their interests, while laboratories evaluated students based on research fit. Chea was ultimately matched with Kajimura’s laboratory.

Beyond laboratory research, the fellowship exposed Chea to mentorship, professional development, scientific presentations and interactions with researchers and undergraduate students pursuing careers in biomedical science.

For Chea, the experience represented another step in an undergraduate journey that has extended well beyond the classroom.

At Alabama A&M, she is a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship and Academic Merit Scholarship. She is also a two-time Presidential Gold Medallion recipient and a three-time Dean’s List honoree.

For the 2026-27 academic year, she serves as president of the Minority Association of Pre-Health Students. She previously represented the International Student Association as Miss ISA 2025-26.

Chea said her decision to major in biology grew from a longstanding fascination with the human body and the science behind understanding and treating disease.

Her research experience has strengthened her desire to build a career combining health care with biomedical research.

She has already been accepted into Emory University’s Master of Nursing program for spring 2027 and the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Master of Science in Multidisciplinary Biomedical Science program, also beginning in spring 2027.

Chea’s journey to advanced biomedical research began thousands of miles from Alabama.

As a Liberian student, she said Alabama A&M’s history and culture resonated with her because of Liberia’s deep historical connections to the United States and the resettlement of free and formerly enslaved African Americans.

She viewed attending a historically Black college and university as an opportunity to explore connections between African and African American cultures while building a strong academic foundation.

At Alabama A&M, she said, she found both academic opportunity and a supportive community.

“I enjoy the sense of community at AAMU,” Chea said. “I have been able to build relationships with professors, mentors, classmates and other students who have supported me throughout my undergraduate journey.”

She added that the university had provided opportunities for her to develop through leadership, research, professional development and service.

Chea is expected to graduate in December 2026.

Her summer research experience in Boston, she said, reinforced her interest in biomedical science while showing her how the foundation she built at Alabama A&M could lead to opportunities at leading medical and research institutions.

“It reminded me that opportunities in science are not limited by where you come from, and it encouraged me to continue pursuing ambitious goals in biomedical science,” she said.