Allana Roach

Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Allana Roach is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Genetics & Human Genetics at Howard University. She has earned the respect of many in her field for her research on Hematopoietic Stem Cell Therapy for Immune Deficiencies. The quality of her research skills is demonstrated by her participation and success in various scientific conferences: she has presented a Poster in the Annual Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Conference; and attended the NASA Revolutionary Aerospace Student Conference-Academic Linkage in Coral Springs, Florida, where she was awarded most outstanding presentation and invited as a guest speaker for the 2003 Conference. She also participated in the 2002 Sigma Xi Student Research Conference, where she received 3^rd place in the Immunology and Neuroscience section. In addition, she attended the NSF Historically Black Colleges and Universities Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP) National Research Conference, jointly held with the 3^rd Annual Undergraduate Science and Engineering Conference (USEC), November 22-24, 2002 in Tuskegee, Alabama where she placed second for a poster presentation in the Biology section. Furthermore, she currently mentors two female students, one in high school and the other an undergraduate in college, and serves as a role model for women in her home country. In spite of her hectic schedule, Allana is dedicated to helping the less fortunate. She has been instrumental in establishing a book grant for fellow international students and Allana can be found most weekends at a health fair or other community events, doing sickle cell screening or helping the homeless.