Kinjal Desai
Adam Leitman Bailey started this scholarship in honor of his high school cross country and track coach, Raymond “Hap” Harrison. The scholarship is awarded annually to a New Milford High School graduate that will be attending Rutgers University. Mr. Bailey, a 1988 graduate of New Milford High School, is also a Rutgers University alumnus. To receive the Harrison accolades, a recipient must possess many of the ideals and traits that Raymond Harrison instilled in Adam Leitman Bailey. The recipient must also demonstrate financial need and strong academic achievement, while at the same time pursuing Mr. Harrison’s deep-seated values of success and the desire to make the world a better place through helping others.
Degrees: Cell Biology & Neuroscience
New Milford High School named Kinjal Desai as the second recipient of the Raymond “Hap” Harrison scholarship. Miss Desai is a member of the 2009 graduating class of New Milford High School.
Adam Leitman Bailey started this scholarship in honor of his high school cross country and track coach, Raymond “Hap” Harrison. The scholarship is awarded annually to a New Milford High School graduate that will be attending Rutgers University. Mr. Bailey, a 1988 graduate of New Milford High School, is also a Rutgers University alumnus. To receive the Harrison accolades, a recipient must possess many of the ideals and traits that Raymond Harrison instilled in Adam Leitman Bailey. The recipient must also demonstrate financial need and strong academic achievement, while at the same time pursuing Mr. Harrison’s deep-seated values of success and the desire to make the world a better place through helping others.
Kinjal Desai has received National Merit recognition, the Edward J. Bloustein Scholarship, been recognized as a Martin Luther King Youth Leader and was valedictorian of her graduating class. She has also received four years outstanding recognition in English,Science and Math and was a member on the New Milford High School Mathletes team.
This summer, through the assistance of Mr. Adam Leitman Bailey, I completed an internship at the Taub Research Institute at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. I worked with a Research Assistant on an project for Dr. Habeck investigating the properties and current techniques in a very specific type of functional MRI that uses arterial spin labeling. I complied a database of research articles from 2007 to 2010 that related to this imaging modality through a literary review. This amazing experience gave me first-hand insight not only into a developing technology that can be used to diagnosis Alzheimer’s disease, but also into the process of carrying out a research project from keeping up with modern studies to exploring beyond normal conventions to solve problems.
In addition to working on this project, I was also was able to attend Grand Rounds in Neurology, diagnostic Consensus meetings, as well as Dr. Stern’s Cognitive Reserve meetings. I observed fMRI scans and was even given the opportunity to sit in on psychology testing, such as the Mini-Mental test. Most exciting of all, I attended a Brain Autopsy through which I was able to learn neural anatomy and diagnosis in a breathtakingly physical and immediate setting. The time I spent at the Taub Institute working with Dr. Habeck, his research assistants and his colleagues was one of the most enriching experiences in which I ever had the opportunity to participate.