“The work I am doing has the potential to improve detection of complications. It’s such an incredible prospect that I truly can’t wait to get to work every day.” Gardner Yost Outside of his research in the lab, he works at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn performing in vitro experiments and listening to patients’ implanted pumps to collect clinical data for his analysis. Yost noted that he meets some patients in such severe cardiac failure that they are short
as a preclinical scientist for Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson and Johnson. As a kid, Zellander’s curiosity drew her to science, but she believes being where she is today lies partly in serendipity. “It was a huge blessing that the city of Memphis— right around the time that I was coming into school—just happened to put more focus on math and science programs,” she said. After attending a magnet high school, Zellander went on to pursue biomedical science at the University of Pennsylvania where she joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps program. And later, she did master’s degree work in biotechnology at Johns Hopkins University during her active duty in the U.S. Navy as
of breath at rest. “But the LVADs restore
an oceanographer.
blood flow, including oxygen perfusion
“At first I was worried that being in the
to the brain, and patients feel better and regain some function. It’s so amazing to see.” For him, bioengineering is equally challenging and deeply satisfying. While he remains involved in rowing as a coach for the Lincoln Park Juniors, Yost knows his future career trajectory lies in bioengineering. “The work I am doing has
Navy had nothing to do with bioengineering. I thought I had taken a wrong turn,” she said. But Zellander now sees how pivotal the Navy was in bringing her dreams to fruition. “I saw while I was in the Navy that there was just so much more that I could achieve,” she said. She believes her
Photographer: Jeff Fusco
growth there gave her the confidence to do what she always dreamt of doing: pursuing
2013. “Amelia is a remarkable woman. She
plications which affect a patient’s quality of
a doctoral degree.
readily accepts challenges and possesses
life and help physicians treat them before
And so after completing her active duty
the potential to improve detection of com-
they become life-threatening,” he said. “It’s such an incredible prospect that I truly
in 2008, Zellander knew all signs pointed
incredible resourcefulness to overcome them,” said Dr. Cho.
to UIC. “I needed to choose a place
Zellander knows from her time at UIC that
that would allow me to do the research I
developing biomaterials is a challenge, but
wanted to do,” she said. That the program
her determination trumps any difficulty.
she had chosen was in a dynamic world
“When I’m trying to create something
in medicine. But during high school, with
city was a bonus, she thought.
that doesn’t already exist, the goal posts
exposure to laboratory work, I realized I
After working for four years—with adviser
can’t wait to get to work every day.”
Amelia Zellander, PhD Graduate “I knew for a long time that I was interested
liked to be creative in that way and began trying to find an opportunity to connect medicine and engineering,” said Amelia Zellander (PhD ’13), who now works
Michael Cho, PhD—to create a prosthetic cornea implant made of synthetic polymers that would self-adhere to the eye, she suc-
change throughout the game, and it’s stressful. But because I really love what I am doing, it’s more rewarding than anything else.” :
cessfully defended her dissertation in May
15