Mt. Vernon student presents Harvard study

Alyson Barnes, a senior at Mt. Vernon High School, recently traveled to Boston to present her research in conjunction with a Harvard professor.

Barnes, despite her ties to Harvard, plans to attend Duke University in the fall of this year.

Barnes decided very early on in her high school career that she wanted to attend Duke University, but, being from such a small-town rural area, she felt she was at a disadvantage when it came to applications.

To set herself apart from the rest, she contacted a family friend and Harvard alumnus, Dr. Susanne Hay. Hay and Barnes brainstormed on the possibilities, and during this brainstorming session, Hay brought up a significant project that she was leading at Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a Harvard Hospital.

Hay offered up a position on the research team to build a database for sensitivity checking at the hospital.

After two years building the database, Barnes was offered an opportunity to lead a study on the project. Her area was a trend and gap analysis of neonatal studies using the database, built by Barnes, to identify trends. The study was co-authored by Hay. Barnes said that while this study is not as intriguing as some, that doesn’t make it any less important.

“While these projects aren't necessarily the most exciting studies, they are very important, said Barnes. “They are very helpful in noticing areas that might need more focus. An example is late preterm infants. It is a huge population in the hospital yet has very few studies.”

Hay and Barnes were selected to present a poster at the Pediatric Academic Societies conference in Boston among about 100 other participants.

“Boston was a wonderful experience,” said Barnes. “Presenting a poster was a wonderful opportunity to interact with doctors from the best hospitals in the world.

Despite many of her newfound Harvard contacts, Barnes had Duke as her top pick. She said that Duke offers an experience better aligned with her goal of service.

“Many people were surprised by my decision to attend Duke in the fall,” said Barnes. “The most obvious answer would have been Harvard, but it is not the undergraduate experience that I wanted. Duke is a service-centered university. It has a multitude of opportunities to give back to the surrounding community as well as funding to lead your own service project. At Duke, I hope to receive an education that I can utilize to provide greater opportunities to rural areas.”

No matter what school she attends, Barnes will always have her incredible Harvard experience to look back on.

“It is so surreal,” said Barnes. “It was such an amazing honor to be chosen for this opportunity. This is an accomplishment that I am extremely proud of.”