Annabel Wallace, Trumbull College ‘25
PEELING BACK THE LAYERS OF IMMUNOLOGY: DISCOVERING PASSION AND PURPOSE IN THE O'CONNOR LAB
Written by Sofia Reyes
Edited by Gabriella Umboradak Nanjo
Annabel Wallace, a current senior in Trumbull College majoring in MCDB, is living proof of how accessible the Yale research community truly is.
Annabel had a somewhat untraditional experience getting involved in research here at Yale. Despite being introduced to the O’Connor Lab somewhat by chance in her freshman year, Annabel has spent all four of her years at Yale exploring the ins and outs of immunobiology. She studies myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disease that impairs normal neuromuscular transmission and causes muscle weakness, through the O’Connor Lab. Coming into college with little to no research experience, but a very strong passion for biology, Annabel was eager to learn about research at Yale, and her first point of reference was her academic advisor.
As a first-year student in Trumbull, her academic advisor happened to be Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the Principal Investigator of the O’Connor Lab. After some discussion regarding research at Yale and Annabel’s interests in neurology and oncology, she and Dr. O’Connor both agreed the O’Connor Lab would be a wonderful fit. Through the O’Connor Lab, Annabel has had the chance to explore research from various angles, even spending her last summer working in a lab in Barcelona.
Beyond research, Annabel is highly involved with Demos, a student-run science tutoring program that works to help with hands-on science experiments at local New Haven schools. She is also a peer mentor for the organization Cancer Hope Network, to support those suffering from cancer. When Annabel’s mother was diagnosed with cancer while she was in high school, she knew she wanted to find a way to help others going through a similar experience to her own. At Yale, she has been able to explore her passions for science and service, and she plans to continue this by applying to medical school in the future.
When asked to describe her lab, she highlighted the diversity of the group and described it as an exciting work environment, as many of the people working in her lab are international. She said they all have different backgrounds and amounts of research experience, but that their differing perspectives only make them a better fit together in the lab. She described the working environment as “very energetic, and very supportive,” and emphasized that the research community, and specifically her research mentor Dr. Gianvito Masi, has made her experience here at Yale one that she will never forget.
After college, Annabel hopes to go back to Barcelona and continue conducting research, with her end goal being medical school. When asked what advice she would give to students who want to get involved in research and do not necessarily know how, she expressed that she “wish[es] she knew it is okay not to know how to do things, no one expects you to come in knowing everything. By working in a lab you are afforded the unique opportunity to learn because you have people who want to help you grow, so the best way to improve is to ask for help.” Her experience in the O’Connor lab has not only helped foster Annabel’s love of biology, but it has put her on the track to a career in medicine, service, and purpose.