1. Introduce yourself(tell about yourself & who you are)

1. My name is Katie, I’m 23 from Cornwall, UK. I come from a big family but most of my family lives in Austria and Italy. It’s my goal to complete a PhD in Australia after travelling Europe and Asia next year!

2. I noticed you in the science world particularly in cardiac research tell me more about that and what was your reason behind pursing that? 

I have always been drawn to biology and medicine, so I wanted to be a doctor growing up. As I got older, I realized I had a passion for science, but it wasn’t until I began working on a vascular surgery ward as a nursing assistant that I decided I wanted to explore cardiovascular science. I actually was put off from becoming a doctor after I saw how disconnected the doctors in my hospital were from their patients, and how many of them seemed to lack compassion after many difficult years in that career. I started a new job working as a cardiovascular research scientist where I still get to contribute to medicine and healthcare without being a doctor.

3. What are some words of wisdom you live by everyday? 

It’s okay to make mistakes! It just helps you learn.

4. What are some struggles in life you’ve faced to be where you are now? 

I struggled academically and had massive issues with self-doubt and insecurity. I didn’t think I would be good at anything, which made school and university quite difficult. 

I was a nursing assistant during COVID-19 where I saw a lot of things that I was very under prepared for. A lot of those things have stuck with me, and I suffered with persistent nightmares for almost a year. Since leaving that environment, I feel a lot better mentally.

5. What is a positive message you’d like to give to others around the world?

You have only got one go round in life, make sure every day you have done something to make yourself happy.

6. What is one way you’d like to make an impact in the world with what you are doing now? 

 I would love for my research to eventually lead to new treatments for heart disease so that people can get help for heart problems before they have a negative impact on their lives. Heart disease is such a massive problem worldwide, so I’d love to be able to contribute to improving the treatment for it.

7. What other things would you like to tell the world about you?

I love to be creative! Painting and drawing makes me super happy, and it’s nice to have something to channel my energy into.