The Mass General Research Institute (MGRI) is home to a research community of 9,500+ individuals working to understand disease and develop solutions to medicine’s most pressing challenges.
But who are they and what do they do when they’re not conducting research? Learn more about them in this new series, #HumansOfMGRI.
From clinical research coordinators to postdoctoral fellows, research technicians, graduate students and principal investigators—they are all part of the Mass General Research Institute.
Our next guest in the series is Ishan Bhatia, BA, a research technician in Dr. Nitya Jain’s group at the Mucosal Immunology and Biology Research Center (MIBRC).
What is your role in the lab ?
I work as a Research Technician in pediatric immunology. The goal of the Jain Lab is to investigate how the immune system develops and operates in newborns for the purpose of developing new approaches to improve infant health.
I love my research because I find it fascinating how our immune system fights disease and can be engineered to solve health problems.
When and why did you get interested in the work that you are doing?
I became interested in immunology during the summer of 2019, when I took part in the MGHfC Digestive Disease Summer Research Program. I worked with Dr. James Moon, and studied the effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors on the gut T cells.
(This photo was taken prior to the COVID-19 pandemic)
This research was significant to me because my father had considered checkpoint blockade therapy for his lymphoma, but ultimately decided against it because of the side effects.
My work with Dr. Moon analyzed the autoimmune side effects at an immunological level. It was very fulfilling to conduct medical research that could help people like my father, who is now cancer free thanks to CAR T cell therapy—another type of immunotherapy!
I presented my research at the 2019 MGH Summer Symposium, which is where I met Dr. Jain. Her work excited me because infancy is the period when many diseases take root, and so our immunology research will hopefully help to save lives of children around the world.
What do you like to do outside of the lab/work?
Outside of work, I spend most of my weekends volunteering at the Red Cross.
I have two roles—one as a Blood Donor Ambassador, and one as a Food Pantry Volunteer.
Blood and food are two essentials that are in high demand due to COVID-19, and I really enjoy serving the underserved populations in my community.
When I’m not volunteering, I’m working on medical school applications. When it’s time to wind down, I like to work out, do yoga, and play with my dog Tulip!
What is your favorite TV show, podcast, book, or movie?
My favorite TV show is definitely Avatar: The Last Airbender. I used to watch it all the time growing up, and now that it’s back on Netflix, I spent the summer rewatching it.
My favorite podcast is The Premed Years by Dr. Ryan Gray, my favorite movie is The Dark Knight, and my favorite books are the Harry Potter series.
A fun fact about yourself!
I am an EMT, my car’s name is Sally, and I took ballet in college!
About the Mass General Research Institute
Research at Massachusetts General Hospital is interwoven through more than 30 different departments, centers and institutes. Our research includes fundamental, lab-based science; clinical trials to test new drugs, devices and diagnostic tools; and community and population-based research to improve health outcomes across populations and eliminate disparities in care.
Support our Research
Thank you MGHRI for helping me to get to know my colleague Ishan. I’m lucky enough to work with Ishan, but this is the first time I’ve seen his full face! How awesome is his dog, and even more awesome his volunteer work. This is one human I feel very lucky to know.