Dr. McKee, mentored by CIC Co-Director Coleen McNamara, MD, is deeply involved in community engagement efforts both within UVA and beyond. She received her medical training at the University of Otago in New Zealand before pursuing a master’s degree in Immunology and Inflammatory Disease at the University of Glasgow, Scotland. While presenting to the approximately 40 high schoolers attending her talk, she used her experience in both clinical and research settings to help delineate the two perspectives. “Imagine a cliff,” Dr. McKee explained. “Clinical medicine is like an ambulance that treats people who fall off the edge. Research science tries to build a fence to stop people from falling in the first place, and there are pros and cons to each approach.” She also described her current research and the importance of being an advocate for science in a national climate increasingly skeptical of research.

Speaking at Monticello High School is Dr. McKee’s latest community engagement effort. She has also volunteered at events that brought middle schoolers to Grounds, UVA’s Discover Medicine program, and Charlottesville’s local Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter. Community service is one of Dr. McKee’s core values, having volunteered in international medical efforts and local programs throughout her professional and personal life.

Her efforts to bring UVA and the Charlottesville community together are already building new bridges. Dr. McKee’s Discover Medicine mentee attended her talk at Monticello High School. Another student who attended that talk subsequently sought out a clinical research rotation and will work at iPRIME this summer.

Community outreach and engagement is a core value of the CIC and its researchers. Students and faculty interested in additional outreach opportunities should contact Dr. Christos Baryiames.

Atherosclerosis, the accumulation of cholesterol, fats, and other substances in arterial walls, is a widespread cardiovascular disease—approximately 3 million new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. Epidemiological studies have indicated that patients with a deficiency in glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDdef) associate with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Mazzei’s research aims to identify the links between G6PDdef and atherosclerosis, identifying potential immune driven mechanisms that link the two.

G6PD normally protects cells from being damaged by reactive oxygen species. Mazzei’s work traces the effects of G6PD deficiency to the production of immunoglobulin M, an antibody shown to protect against coronary artery disease and to target molecules damaged by oxidation. She shows that G6PDdef leads to decreased levels of immunoglobulin M and more severe atherosclerosis. Her future research will further explore the relationships between G6PDdef, the production of immunoglobulin M and their role in atherosclerosis.