Front Lines and Behind the Scenes: Improving Health Through Patient Care and Research
Portrait of Helena Zheng. Courtesy photo.
Helena Zheng, E’26, bioengineering and biochemistry, has conducted extensive research at the Dai Lab at Northeastern, focusing on learning and optimizing research methods. With plans to become a physician-scientist, Zheng is grateful for the diverse set of experiences she has gained through the university.
Helena Zheng recently completed a bachelor’s degree in combined bioengineering and biochemistry at Northeastern. A graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, Zheng was immersed in STEM from an early age and began conducting biology research while still in high school. That work sparked her interest in research and gave her the confidence to pursue further opportunities, including design competitions such as NASA Genes in Space. In her senior year, she joined a neuroradiology lab at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, where she gained hands-on experience analyzing patient data for clinical research. The experience deepened her curiosity about neuroscience and solidified her ambition to pursue medical school.
Zheng was drawn to Northeastern in part for its location in Boston—a hub of biotechnology and industry connections. She was also attracted to the rigorous reputation of its engineering programs and its standing as an R1 research institution, knowing that Northeastern would place her alongside renowned scientists and open doors to meaningful research. She enrolled as a biology major on the pre-med track but soon found herself drawn to something beyond performing research—she wanted to question, discuss, and improve the integrity of the data itself. As she puts it, “I not only wanted to perform research, but also elevate the ways research was being done in my field.” That instinct is what led her to engineering.
Research and Awards
Zheng with her advisor and lab mates. Courtesy photo.
Since fall 2023, Zheng has been an undergraduate researcher in Professor Guohao Dai’s Lab. Her first project involved refining the gel-like material used to build realistic models of the blood-brain barrier—the protective barrier that controls what enters the brain from the bloodstream—inside tiny fluid-filled devices. Supported by a PEAK Summit Fall 2024 award, the work required experimenting with different biological materials and the chemical processes used to solidify them, recreating the brain’s complex environment in a lab setting and testing combinations of materials to improve how well brain and blood vessel cells survive. Zheng assessed their results by analyzing images of the vessels taken at different time points—and in doing so, noticed a significant limitation: the imaging technology often couldn’t capture pictures clear enough to accurately determine vessel characteristics such as width or branching patterns. The lab had been sorting through and interpreting these images by hand, a slow and inconsistent process.
Recognizing the inefficiency, Zheng set out to find a faster, more reliable solution—and in doing so, discovered a broader interest in image processing. Her most recent project, for which she received a second PEAK Summit award this past spring, addresses this problem directly: she is developing an AI-powered imaging process to standardize how vessels are measured and reduce the time burden on researchers. The project has given her the opportunity to build expertise in artificial intelligence and engage with cutting-edge techniques in imaging research.
Zheng also received the Shout It Out Award for the 2024–2025 academic year, which funded her travel to the Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Conference—a prominent event in the field, and one for which her principal investigator, Professor Dai, serves on the Board of Directors. At the conference, Zheng expanded her professional network, identified potential research collaborators, and connected with mentors who could help bridge her engineering work with her interest in medicine.
Zheng is grateful to Northeastern for the research opportunities it has made possible, and she singles out Professor Gregory Abowd, Dean of the College of Engineering, for his early support. At a college networking event, she met Dr. Abowd, who connected her with faculty whose work aligned with her interests—including Dr. Dai. Since joining the lab, Zheng has found consistent support from Dr. Dai and her lab mentors, who have encouraged her to explore different research directions and have trusted her to chart her own path—whether that leads toward a PhD, an MD, or both.
Co-op and Extracurriculars
Zheng completed one co-op as a nursing assistant at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, working on the solid organ transplant floor. Her responsibilities included taking routine vitals, assisting nurses, and ensuring the quality of patient care. The experience gave her a broader view of the medical field and brought into sharp relief how the diseases she studies in the lab affect real patients and their families. As she reflects, “you begin to understand the meaning of research and how you want to apply these solutions or treatments to alleviate their pain.” The co-op deepened her resolve to become more than a healthcare provider and gave her invaluable perspective on the healthcare system from the inside.
Outside of academics, Zheng has volunteered with All Care as a hospice volunteer—attending quarterly volunteer seminars and visiting patients weekly. The experience connected her with people at very different stages of life and reinforced how meaningful that kind of presence can be. Visiting patients, families, and healthcare providers in palliative care settings gave Zheng a more grounded sense of why she wants to pursue biomedical research and what it truly means to do so.
Impactful Courses and Influential People
One course that left a lasting impression on Zheng was Music and Social Justice, an interdisciplinary class taught by Assistant Professor Rebekah Moore. The course explored the intersection of indigenous communities, environmental justice, health equity, and music—a combination that genuinely fascinated her. Zheng continued working on her class project after the course ended, ultimately presenting her work at the 2024 Northeast Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology annual meeting. The experience reinforced her belief that sustainable solutions—including in healthcare—require understanding the historical, cultural, and environmental systems that surround a problem.
Another professor who made a significant impact is Assistant Professor Mona Minkara, whose course in Biomolecular Dynamics and Control Zheng found both intellectually rigorous and personally inspiring. “I felt like [Minkara’s] enthusiasm for the subject and how much of a pioneer she is really encouraged me,” Zheng reflects. Professor Minkara, who is blind, embodies for Zheng the conviction that “there is no single blueprint to become successful in the field you choose to pursue.”
Mentorship has played a meaningful role throughout Zheng’s time at Northeastern, and she has worked to extend that support to others. For several years, she has served as a project mentor for first-year engineering students, helping them navigate early academic challenges, encouraging them to seek out research opportunities, and building their confidence—drawing on her own experience of feeling underprepared when she transitioned into engineering. She currently works under Professor Constantine Mukasa, helping to train new project mentors with a focus on fostering creativity and collaboration among incoming students.
Advice and Ambition
Zheng presenting her work at the BMES conference. Courtesy photo.
Zheng’s advice to other students is to embrace a growth mindset and not be afraid of failure. On a demanding academic and research path, challenges are inevitable and success rarely comes on the first try. What has helped her is returning to the reason she chose this path in the first place—her genuine curiosity and love of science. Staying connected to the meaning of her work has made it easier to keep giving her best effort, even when the results don’t immediately follow.
Since graduating, Zheng plans to take a few gap years before applying to medical school, with the long-term goal of becoming a physician-researcher who advances clinical practice while also pushing the boundaries of biomedical science. Her motivation is clear: “I realized that existing in medicine is not enough for me, but also to change and improve the way biomedical research is being done.” Her diverse experiences across research, clinical care, and community engagement position her well for that combined role. Zheng is committed to continuing that work—pioneering new methods with the potential to improve and save lives.