Shreya Sirivolu, a medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has been awarded the Research to Prevent Blindness/Castle Biosciences Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship in Ocular Cancer. She will take a year off from medical school to focus on her research project on ocular cancer under the mentorship of Dr. Jesse Berry, MD.

By: Eric Weintraub

Dr. Jesse Berry (left) with Shreya Sirivolu in clinic. (Photo/Steve Cohn)

Shreya Sirivolu, a third-year medical student at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, has been awarded the Research to Prevent Blindness/Castle Biosciences Medical Student Eye Research Fellowship in Ocular Cancer. As part of the fellowship, Shreya will take a year off from medical school to conduct full-time research on ocular cancer. She will work as a research fellow at the USC Roski Eye Institute under the guidance of mentor Jesse Berry, MD.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with Dr. Jesse Berry since my first year in medical school, and she has continuously inspired me on a professional and personal level,” said Shreya. “I quickly realized that working with a mentor like her is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I am fortunate to experience. As I seek to define myself during these formative years of my career, I know that taking a year to learn from her will be instrumental to my growth as both a physician and an individual.”

Shreya will be pursuing a research project titled “Integrative, multi-parametric characterization of extracellular vesicles in the aqueous humor of uveal melanoma eyes,” which aims to identify biomarkers that could improve the molecular diagnosis, prognosis, and application of personalized, targeted therapy for patients with this ocular cancer.

“Cancer research has always captivated my interest, particularly the identification of novel biomarkers that could have a direct impact on the management of patients,” said Shreya. “I am motivated by the potential for research that could bring more hope to these patients during a potentially scary and uncertain time in their life.”

Shreya earned her Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in 2019, graduating cum laude with departmental honors in biological sciences. Prior to medical school, she worked on cancer immunology research at Stanford. Since joining Dr. Berry’s lab during her first year of medical school, she has been actively involved in the lab’s efforts to further the multi-omics investigation of aqueous humor liquid biopsies.

Dr. Berry praised Shreya’s work, stating, “Shreya is a clear superstar — she is motivated and asks questions that show me she is curious about understanding these rare diseases at a molecular level. I knew she would be a good partner in this exploration. I am delighted that RPB is supporting our work.”