Dr Daniel Ram
Dr Daniel Ram
Dr Daniel Ram

– Young Guyanese scientist researching cure for HIV/AIDS at Harvard

After gracing front pages as the top CXC student for Guyana and the Caribbean in 2003 and then pursuing a PhD in immunology, Daniel Ram is now at Harvard University carrying out research to stop the spread of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. He told Alva Solomon how it all happened
By Alva Solomon
Daniel Ram has been in love with the sciences ever since he was seven-years-old and is known in Guyana for stellar academic achievements over the years.

Dr Daniel Ram and his wife Alice Cao
Dr Daniel Ram and his wife Alice Cao

Back in 2003, his face appeared on the front pages when he was named the top student for the CSEC Exams offered by the Caribbean Examinations Council in both Guyana and the Caribbean.
By 2009, he had already conquered a degree in Chemistry and Biology. That year, he left these shores in search of a PhD in immunology.
That feat conquered, today he is pursuing research at Harvard University with the aim of finding a possible cure for HIV/AIDS.
Like most scientists, when interviewing Daniel, originally from LBI, East Coast Demerara, one has to pay keen attention to his use of scientific language since he may unknowingly cover a topic which is important in the world of science and health. That was the case recently when the Guyana Chronicle caught up with Daniel at his parents’ home.
Seated in the study of his father, Dr Chatterpaul Ram, a dentist, the young doctor said that the past seven years have been one of the more challenging periods of his academic life. He was based at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts, the option he selected when he had to make a choice after he was also selected to study at the prominent Johns Hopkins University.
At Tufts University, the bulk of his studies focused on research, where he zoomed in on a possible injected cure for surgical infections where blood flow is disrupted in a process known as sepsis. He explained that the studies focused on the development of a preventative cure wherein persons with injuries who require surgical procedures can be injected with medicines to prevent the injury from becoming septic.
His focus was on mice, and he spent long hours assessing the life of the animals which were injected with proteins and tested for reactions to the various medicinal implants. Although he could not complete the particular area of study since his graduation happened this year, he plans to pursue the field.
But something else of interest came into the fray for Daniel recently. Some two weeks ago, he started working at Harvard University’s Centre for Virology and Vaccine Research and research on HIV entered his area of focus. HIV has always been on his mind and finding a possible cure is a definite focal point for him.
He said that barely one week into the job, he was sent to New York to study the use of equipment which he will be seeing very often, given his new area of study. ”It’s basically equipment with tubes which costs millions of US dollars and it’s important to know what you are doing” he said.
Daniel has also applied for professorial posts at Harvard, a process which carries a waiting period of as long as 10 years. “It’s either 2 or 10,” he said, nonchalantly. He is no stranger to Harvard, since he had interned there and was tasked with undertaking research in virology and immunology while he read for his BA in Chemistry and Biology at Concordia College in the US soon after he wrote the CXC examinations. He also studied viral mutation and the effect on HIV at the time.
He posited that his love for teaching may bring him home, as he noted that he is willing to transfer his knowledge to those who have an interest in the science field here.
According to him, Guyana’s secondary school system provides a concrete foundation for those who are willing to advance their studies in the field. He said that this rich form of schooling ensures that a student can provide a more elaborate answer to a question rather than a simple “yes” or “no” option. It is this rich vein of knowledge which he said can advance the country’s development, given the ideal environment here for research. “I think the problem in Guyana is funding,” he cautioned. He said that to implement systems for research requires large sums, but he reiterated that the country provides the ideal hunting ground for research, especially in the field of biology.
But academics aside, the young scholar has also eclipsed another achievement in his personal life. Several months ago, six to be exact, he married another academic in Alice Cao, who is also pursuing studies in the medical field. The young doctor and his wife were painting another building which his father is completing near to the family’s home when this publication caught up with the family several days ago.
Her clothes splattered in paint, the young lady smilingly hugged her husband when it was time to have their pictures taken.
Daniel and his wife, along with his sister Rebeka and her partner came to Guyana to visit his parents, to “relax” as the young doctor noted. Rebeka is also pursuing studies in medicine; she is currently reading for her masters in the field of medical technology in the US.
Daniel masked a broad smile when it was suggested that this weekend his former Queen’s College classmates and friends will read of his academic feats, and of course his marriage.

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