Lab Member Spotlight - Alyssa Harbaugh

Alyssa Harbaugh, BS
Alyssa Harbaugh, BS

Alyssa Harbaugh, BS, is a research laboratory technician and study coordinator in Dr. Jason Knight’s Lab. Alyssa joined the team in January 2020 and transitioned to doing virtual work on the lab's COVID-19 studies during the pandemic. In February 2021, she returned to in-person lab work studying neutrophil metabolism with Dr. Ajay Tambralli. Alyssa graduated from the University of Michigan in May 2021 where she received her BS degree in Biomolecular Science with minors in Creative Writing and Music.

Learn more about Alyssa Harbaugh

Where are you from?

I grew up in Clarkston, Michigan. If you draw a perfect triangle using Ann Arbor and Detroit as the bottom points, Clarkston is at the top!

Tell us about your education.

I graduated from the University of Michigan in May of 2021 with a Bachelor of Science in Biomolecular Science. Although I mostly followed the pre-med track, I also had the opportunity to study novel writing under some amazing professors. In high school, I was really involved in music and theatre, so I took lots of performance classes in college and minored in music. Outside of class, I did a lot of work with a mental health education nonprofit called Heal-Move-Shift.

What interests you about antiphospholipid syndrome?

I got into immune research because I wanted to study allergies (I have a lot of those) and eventually transitioned into autoimmune disease research. I find antiphospholipid syndrome fascinating because it affects so many areas of a person’s life. When we think of heart disease, for example, it can feel like an isolated set of symptoms and treatments. But APS is so systemic and complex in its symptoms that we cannot think about it one way. It requires a multidisciplinary and often mechanistic approach which, for me, connects well to the study of medicine.

What do you see yourself doing in the future?

This summer, I will be attending Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine to pursue a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. Eventually, I hope to work in internal medicine or another primary care specialty. I will also be pursuing a Master of Arts (MA) in Bioethics while pursuing my MD. I hope to use the MA in conjunction with my MD degree to write compelling stories and further patient advocacy.

What is something you enjoy doing outside of work?

Outside of work, I enjoy distance running, ice skating, and vocal performance. One of the things I’m most excited about moving to Cleveland is that there are a lot of parks where I can go running!