Two School of Medicine Students Advance to Grad Slam Finals

Two of the 10 finalists for UC Irvine’s Grad Slam “research pitch” competition are School of Medicine students Tessa Chou, discussing “HIV’s last wake-up call,” and Celina Yang, explaining “how loneliness rewires the brain.

The first time Tessa Chou, a PhD student studying molecular biology and genetics, presented research, she hyperventilated. Celina Yang, pursuing an MD/PhD in neuroscience, immigrated to Canada at age 10, unable to speak English and feeling completely lost.

Now, as two of 10 finalists for the UC Irvine Grad Slam finals, Chou and Yang will appear on stage on March 12, 2026, showcasing their public speaking and communication skills. In a three-minute pitch, Chou will share how she’s exploring a cure for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and Yang will explain her efforts to unlock the secrets of depression. The competition highlights not only graduate students and their groundbreaking research but also their ability to capture people’s attention and effectively illustrate the impact of their work.

Tessa Chou: HIV’s Last Wake-Up Call

Chou fell in love with biology in seventh grade and found her passion for research as a high school intern at a biotech company. However, completing the internship required Chou to do a presentation. “I’ve always had a fear of public speaking, and the very first time I presented research, I hyperventilated,” she says. Yet she completed the program and went on to earn her undergraduate degree in biology.

“What that incident taught me was that if I want to go into science, I can’t shy away from public speaking,” says Chou. “So, I’ve pushed myself out of my comfort zone every year since that first presentation.” This will be her second year competing in the Grad Slam finals. “Being able to communicate our findings,” she says, “is what gives our research impact.”

Of course, it’s not easy for a translational virologist to concisely explain to a general audience an approach to curing HIV. That’s why Chou’s pitch, “HIV’s Last Wake-Up Call,” relies on an alarm clock analogy.

“The main barrier to a cure for HIV is that the virus goes to sleep — or, in the more technical term, establishes latency — in cells,” explains Chou. Current treatments that prevent HIV from replicating can’t find the virus during latency, so it can hide for decades only to reemerge when someone stops taking medication.

Working in the lab of Matthew D. Marsden, PhD, Chou is exploring ways to “wake up” and expose the virus. “I like to call what we develop ‘molecular alarm clocks,’ hence HIV’s ‘wake-up call,’” she says. These latency-reversing agents force HIV to reactivate. “Then your immune system can go, ‘there you are!’ and kill the infected cell.”

She is excited to once again compete in the Grad Slam Finals. “It’s been one of the most impactful experiences of my grad career,” says Chou, who is interested in becoming a medical science liaison. “I remember walking away from last year feeling I’ve come such a long way,” she says, noting the support of many mentors throughout her journey, including Marsden and his colleague in the Department of Microbiology, Bert L. Semler, PhD, as well as her high school biology teacher, Jimmy Ikeda.

Highlighting the skills she has gained from competing, she says, “I don’t think little Tessa from high school would ever have imagined she could speak with such confidence and poise!”

Celina Yang: Unlocking the Secrets of Depression

Yang’s younger self would also be impressed to see how far she’s come. “I immigrated to Canada at age 10, unable to speak English and completely lost,” she says. “Navigating a new culture and supporting my family during those difficult times taught me resilience, but also something deeper: the privilege of helping others through their darkest moments.”

Now, as a third-year student working toward her MD/PhD in UC Irvine’s Medical Scientist Training Program, Yang is helping advance our understanding of major depressive disorder (MDD). “Hippocampal disturbances contribute to memory and cognitive issues in MDD, but the underlying circuit mechanisms remain unclear,” she says.

In her Grad Slam pitch, “Unlocking the Secrets of Depression: How Loneliness Rewires the Brain,” Yang discusses her research with singly housed mice, working with anatomy and neurobiology faculty Gary Lynch, PhD, and Christine Gall, PhD. “Our study identifies the region of the hippocampus where depression interferes with neurons regulating excitatory activity,” she says. Providing a circuit-level explanation for how depression impairs memory and cognition leads to a potential target for developing new treatment options.

As Yang competes in her second Grad Slam and makes her first appearance in the finals, she looks forward to showcasing her growth. “The first Grad Slam taught me how to communicate science; this one is teaching me how to connect,” she says, noting how connection helps transform discovery into action. “Patients can make informed decisions. Policymakers can create evidence-based legislation. Communities can trust and engage with science. And the next generation can see themselves in this work.”

She hopes to encourage young students to consider science and medicine. “Where you start doesn’t determine where you end,” she says. “An MD/PhD seemed impossible, but I was fortunate to encounter exceptional mentors: Dr. Lynch, Dr. Gall and Dr. Ben Gunn [a UC Irvine researcher]. With perseverance and mentorship, the impossible becomes possible.”

As Yang continues studying neuroscience — a fascination she’s had for as long as she can remember — she also now views sharing what she learns as her “responsibility” and an integral part of her work. “If we want our research to matter beyond academia, we have to meet people where they are,” she says. “That means stripping away jargon, telling compelling stories and explaining why our work matters.”

Chao and Yang will compete at the sold-out competition on March 12, 2026 to determine which of the 10 finalists will represent UC Irvine at the UC-wide Grad Slam championship.

— Shani Murray