Biography

As an undergraduate student at Saint Louis University, majoring in Neuroscience with a Minor in Public Health, Dawson began his research endeavors six years ago working in Dr. Klaus Friedrich’s lab at the University of Detroit Mercy, studying freshwater Spongilla gemmules and spicules. Further, he collaborated on various projects focused on chiral analytic reactions. After completion of his first year of undergrad, he assisted Dr. Gregory Yanik at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, specifically with GVHD and BMT related studies. Through designing one of the largest databases on longitudinal Pulmonary Function Test (PFT) results in relation to lung diseases, his knowledge in clinical experience propelled him to continue his passion for medicine. Currently, as a research lab assistant in the Byrd Lab, he is investigating the biology of extracellular vesicles. In his spare time, he writes blog posts for “Stanzas of Life” and is involved in SLU’s LABRE organization on campus.