BRAVO! and my love for infectious diseases and traveling took me to the Czech Republic last spring. I went to study microsporidia, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, at the Institute of Parasitology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Ceske Budejovice in the Laboratory of Parasite Immunology with Dr. Jan Kopecky.

Microsporidia is protozoa that cause opportunistic infections in immuno-compromised patients, particularly in patients with AIDS. My goal was to determine the mechanism of immunity against this infection using gene knockout mice. Only when we understand how a healthy vs. an immunodeficient host responds to microsporidia infection, can we hope to develop therapeutic strategies to successfully treat this disease. Moreover, this study will contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of immunity against intracellular pathogens in general.

I shared an apartment with two roommates one from Belgium and the other from Scotland. Our apartment was the headquarters for foreign affairs. We organized get-togethers in town, out of town and out of the country as well. We took turns preparing dinner and formed a support group. Having these roommates was the best part of my stay.

The Czech Republic has only been free of communism for the past 13 years. The living standard is still significantly lower than Western Europe. Life is changing before the inhabitants¹ eyes with the influx of foreign, especially Western, tourists. Prague is now considered the most visited city in the world, bypassing Paris. Prague is incredibly beautiful. There is elaborate architecture, the romantic Charles Bridge over the Valtava River, wonderful music, art, and theater everywhere you look. I loved it. I discovered something new every time I visited.

Overall, it was a very exciting time for me to be there. I witnessed a small part of the transition that a country with a rich history and a wonderful, nationalist people is undergoing. I miss the Czech Republic.

BRAVO! was an incredible opportunity I wholeheartedly recommend qualified UBRPers to take advantage of. You get to do what you love, research, in a foreign country where you will truly grow up and enrich your life. Carol, thank you so much for organizing such a wonderful program.

Thuy Le '97, UBRP alum from Dr. Judith Ulreich's lab, Surgery/Transplantation and a UA Medical School graduate '02. Thuy is now an internal medicine resident at New England Medical Center (Tufts), Boston, MA.