Amanda Elyssa Ruiz is a fifth-year PhD candidate in the laboratory of Dr. Jonathan “Jake” Kurtis at Brown University. Her work focuses on the relationship between protective immune responses to Schistosoma japonicum and naturally acquired resistance to schistosomiasis in populations living in endemic regions.

Ms. Ruiz earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Barnard College of Columbia University. During her time at Columbia, she conducted research in Dr. Patricia Cortes’ clinical immunology lab at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, as well as Dr. Megan Sykes’ translational immunology lab at the Columbia University Medical Center.

Her long-term career goal is to contribute to the understanding of the pathology and molecular mechanisms implicated in zoonotic neglected tropical diseases as a principal investigator and professor. She aspires to develop preventative and therapeutic solutions for humans and animals and to actively incorporate the One Health initiative into the fields of infectious diseases and microbial pathogenesis.

Beyond her work in the lab, she is deeply committed to addressing barriers to educational equity and fostering a more diverse and inclusive environment in academia. Ms. Ruiz has served as a student representative on the Brown University Diversity Advisory Board, the President of the Brown University chapter of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), and as a Board Member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).