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Experiences
Teaching Experience
Whilst at Duke, I had the good fortune to co-teach two classes. Vaccines, Explained looked at the social, cultural and political underpinnings of vaccine hesitancy, and was co-taught with Anne Crabill and overseen by Dr Misha Angrist. Narratives of Illness and Health examined the intersection of the medical humanities and media and was co-taught by Nimish Garg and overseen by Dr Deborah Jenson.
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I also tutored Physics 1 (Mechanics) and Biochemistry, worked as a student tech at the Innovation Co-Lab and served as a TA for the graduate seminar Bioethics 502S (Communicating Science and Bioethics) under Dr Ariana Eily.
Research Experience
At Duke, I served as a research manager for Bluesmith, Duke's bespoke 3D printing service for medical and research prints. We worked with a wide variety of academics across Duke, including the Disney Lab, Frank-Ito Lab, Duke Pediatric Cardiology and Duke Neurology. My personal project with neurology focused on developing novel methods to to visualize and manufacture brain CT and MRI data for application in epilepsy ablation surgery with Dr Muhammed Zafar (see our poster here). I also worked with Dr Shelby Reed to develop a cost analysis of PreProCare, a prostate cancer decision tool.
Leadership Experience
Whilst I lived in Durham, I volunteered at the Community Empowerment Fund, a local Durham non-profit focused on anti-racism, housing access and financial stability. I worked as a 1-on-1 advocate with Durhamites to help them navigate stressful financial and housing situations, and I was chosen as a member of the CEF Board of Trustees for the 2021-2022 cycle.
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In addition, I served as the Student Rep to the Duke University Board of Trustees on the Research, Translation and Commercialisation Sub-Committee for the 2019-2020 cycle.
Education
2018 - 2022
Duke University
BA Philosophy, Minors in Chemistry and Science and Society
Durham, NC
Whilst at Duke, I studied Philosophy and issues related to science and society. I was particularly interested in the anti-vaccine movment writing about them every chance I could get, including in my honours thesis. I also became a basketball fan and was in K-Ville for Zion's infamous Nike blowout.
Publications
Kumar, I. (2020). Hacking Disease: The Ethics of DIY Medicine. Voices in Bioethics, 6. https://doi.org/10.7916/vib.v6i.5908
Seth, D., Kumar, I. and Richards, M., 2020. A Privacy-Centric Contact Tracing Framework. Ethical Tech. [online] Durham, North Carolina: Kenan Institute of Ethics. Available at: <https://kenan.ethics.duke.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ishaan-Kumar-et-al._Undergraduate.pdf> [Accessed 10 September 2022].
Kumar, I., Ayvaz, B., Khapuria, A., Subei, M., Zafar, M. (2022) Comparison of Different 3D Printing Methods in High-Resolution Modeling for Epilepsy Surgery. [Manuscript in prep]
Certifications
North Carolina Emergency Medical Technician (Basic) [NC Cert + NREMT Cert]
Presentations
Ethical Responsibility and Biohacking - Biohack the Planet 2020. Presentation Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Comparison of Different 3D Printing Methods in High-Resolution Modeling for Epilepsy Surgery - American Epilepsy Society (Poster Presentation)
Comparison of Different 3D Printing Methods in High-Resolution Modeling for Epilepsy Surgery - North Carolina Neurological Society (Poster Presentation). This presentation won 2nd place in the societies poster competition.
3D Printing and Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery: Methods and Lessons - University of Kentucky School of Medicine Grand Rounds (May 2022).