by Katie Williard

Growing up in Cape Verde, Victor Svistunov ’22 “hardly had medical access. I’ve seen people die of simple infectious diseases. It sparked my passion to help.”

Upon arriving in the U.S., he dove into the pre-health professions program at Harrisburg Area Community College before coming to Bucknell through the Community College Scholars Program. The biology major immediately got to work in the labs of Professors Sarah Lower and Moria Chambers. “All the knowledge I’ve gained — bioinformatics, genomics, microbiology techniques — I can use to study gut biology to discover novel ways of fighting infectious diseases.”

His future kicks off in the fall when he’ll start as a research assistant at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. Ultimately, he’ll pursue an M.D./Ph.D. in gastroenterology, satisfying his desire to both treat patients and contribute to scientific advancement through research.

“I want to help back home by building infrastructure so people have medical access,” he says. “Building a hospital will help a certain population. But research helps in a larger scope.

“It’s hard to see people dying just because they don’t have doctors. I want to get my education from the best so that I have the resources to help.”

photograph by emily paine