Marissa Baker-Wagner

Biography
Marissa was born and raised in San Francisco, California and started at Hampshire in Fall 2006. She's a smashing soccer player (she usually plays forward), is frustratingly logical, and also bakes delicious brownies.

She served on the 2007-2008 Dean of Students Search committee, and in the fall of 2008 joined EPC. She is an active member of the School of Natural Science, the women's soccer team, and various other OPRA activities. She can often be found at the front desk in the RCC, in the molecular biology lab in Cole Science Center, or in her mod, the lovely 49.

Academic Work
Division III in the School of Natural Science- Passed May 2010

"Searching for a Cure for Dengue Fever: The Science and Culture of Treating Illnesses With No Market"

with a Certificate from the Five College Culture, Health and Science Program

Here is an abstract that attempts to sum up the div:

"Dengue virus is the cause of dengue fever, a mosquito borne illness that is especially prevalent in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. The symptoms of dengue fever include fever, rash, muscle and joint pain, and general flu like symptoms. It can be very painful, and is sometimes referred to as "break-bone fever." Dengue hemorrhagic fever and dengue shock syndrome, which are caused by infection with multiple types of dengue over one's lifetime can cause hemorrhaging, shock, and death. Up to 2.5 billion people-- over a third of the world's population-- are at risk of infection, and there are an estimated 50 million infections annually. I have been taking part in novel research into the dengue viral capsid assembly pathway in the hopes of identifying host-targeted anti-viral therapeutics. The work that I have been doing for the past four years has yielded insight into the stepwise pathway that viral capsids appear to undergo. Native gel electrophoresis is a method that can be used to analyze protein conformation, which I have optimized for use at Hampshire. In addition to investigating the biochemical pathways of dengue infection, I have also been investigating the social determinants of this illness. Dengue is in the category of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTDs), which are those illnesses impact the poorest people of the world and are caused by and cause poverty in a vicious cycle that includes economic, cultural, biological, and social factors. There is a severe need for better pharmaceutical interventions for NTDs including dengue fever, but research is generally motivated by profit, allowing diseases of the poor to be neglected. Even diseases, such as HIV, for which treatments do exist remain endemic in poor countries. Access for the poor is limited because treatment is not judged to be cost effective. Yet my research has led me to the conclusion that this designation of NTD is economic, and economics (or markets) are created by society and thus potentially changeable."

Co-Chairs: Lynn Miller and Elizabeth Conlisk


 * link to Hampshire Communications piece about my Div 3
 * link to student profile on the Hampshire Admssions site(very similar to above)
 * link to my Div 3, in it's entirety on DSpace

Division II in the School of Natural Science- Passed May 2009

"Public Health: Intersections of Science, Culture, and Politics"

Chair: Elizabeth Conlisk Member: Alan Goodman

Conferences

Presented:


 * Five College Undergradute Anthroplogy Conferece

May 1st, 2010 at Hampshire College: "Searching for a Cure for Dengue Fever: The Science and Culture of Treating Illnesses With No Market"

April 20th, 2009 at Amherst College: "Dengue Fever: A Manifestation of the Intersection of International (Water) Policy and Understandings of Disease”


 * 23rd Annual International Conference on Antiviral Research

April 25th-28th in San Francisco, California: "Evidence for Host Target Drugs Essential for Dengue Virus Capsid Formation"

Attended:


 * The Unite for Sight Global Health and Innovation 2010 Conference

April 17th-18th, 2010 at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut

Professional Work
Prosetta Bioconformatics

Volunteer Work
Familias Saludables

Life Post-Hampshire
In October, 2010 Marissa will be leaving the U.S. to train as a Peace Corps Volunteer doing agro-forestry work in Niger.