Meet Brandi
Brandi Glover is a PhD candidate in the Cellular and Molecular Medicine program at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Under the advisement of Laura Wood, MD, PhD, in the Department of Pathology, she is using patient-derived organoid systems to study the impact of Krüppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) hotspot mutations on early pancreatic tumorigenesis in Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasms (IPMNs).
Born and raised in Louisiana, Brandi earned her Bachelor of Science in Biology at Xavier University of Louisiana, situated in the heart of New Orleans. While there, she conducted research and participated in mentorship programs through both the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Scholars Program and the Research Initiative for Scientific Advancement (RISE) Scholars Program. It was during this period that she committed herself to promoting health equity and diversity in clinical research, setting her on her unique path towards becoming a physician-scientist.
Brandi, a mother to two wonderful children, juggles her roles as a dedicated parent and an involved student. She has held numerous leadership roles at Hopkins, including secretary of the Biomedical Scholars Association (BSA), Vice President of Events with the Graduate Student Association (GSA), Johns Hopkins Science Policy & Diplomacy Group’s GSA representative, and a member of the School of Medicine’s Diversity Council. She is also the founder and president of Student Mothers of Hopkins (SMOH) and has collaborated with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), contributing to a campaign promoting equity in pancreatic cancer research.
Upon completion of her PhD, Brandi plans to apply to medical school where she aims to train as a physician. Her long-term goal is to practice medicine while also running her own laboratory as a principal investigator. As a PHutures Fellow, Brandi is eager to help strategize new ideas, advance current initiatives, and guide students who are on the path to an academic career. Recognizing her path as somewhat “non-traditional”, she hopes to highlight the many different routes that can lead to a successful career in academia.
