Adriano Bellotti

As an undergraduate at North Carolina State University, Adriano began to appreciate the pragmatic perspective and mathematical methods of research in biomedical engineering, and sought to apply this empirical approach to medicine. This lead him to pursue an MD-PhD dual-degree with the University of North Carolina in hopes of leading medical researchers in facilitating the translation of new treatments and technologies into the clinic. He is particularly interested in studying neurophysiology through computational modeling, specifically with regard to neuroplasticity in both a single neuron as well as across neuronal circuits. Gaining a basic mechanistic understanding of neuronal regulation has great implications for understanding and treating various neurological disorders and pathologies. The ideal solution to any illness, especially neurodegenerative diseases, involves input from all applicable fields, including basic science, clinical science, epidemiology, sociology, and psychology, among others. The OxCam Program in combination with the Gates Cambridge community promote collaboration across this wide range of disciplines, and Adriano hopes to apply his engineering background and clinical experiences to his graduate work and many future projects. With careful consideration of all these viewpoints, we can achieve our ultimate goal of providing the best possible patient care.