April Espinoza

April Espinoza is from Winston-Salem, NC and has worked in the Cardiovascular Fluids laboratory with her mentors, Dr. Olga Pierrakos and Brandon Eberl of the Wake Forest Engineering Department, to learn more about the hemodynamic performance of various tissue and synthetic heart valves. She presented her findings at the 2020 IRIS Research Conference then continued to secure a position as a Research Assistant for Atrium-WFBH’s Center of Precision Medicine.

April has utilized her proficiency in both English and Spanish to serve those who are part of her university community and beyond. Outside of the classroom, she served as an interpreter for the Neighbor-to-Neighbor Exchange newsletter which aims to connect minority businesses to the greater Winston-Salem area. She also mentored undergraduate students interested in STEM through the Organization of Latinx Students and mentoring K-12 students from Forsyth County who are interested in STEM as a part of the Friends-In-STEM program. She continuously aids the Wake Forest Engineering Department by volunteering her time as a Technical Writing Specialist and Teacher’s Assistant. Further, she worked as a Web Developer for Farmer Shares Coffee which strives to decrease the salary disparities of Nicaraguan coffee farmers.

After graduation, April will be working as a Research Technician for the Segura Lab at Duke University’s Pratt School of Engineering where she will be working on a biomaterials-based approach to promote immune tolerance in soft tissue transplants.

  • Engineering Major/Concentration in Biomedical Engineering/ Minor in Spanish
  • Undergraduate research: Cardiovascular Fluids laboratory with mentors Dr. Olga Pierrakos and Graduate Student Brandon Eberl & worked in Dr. Bishop’s Lab in Biotech Place as a Research Assistant for Atrium-WFBH’s Center of Precision Medicine
  • Leadership: Mentor for the Organization of Latinx Students and WholEngineer as a resource for undergraduates interested in STEM.
  • Other: study abroad in Salamanca, Spain