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Fellows Scholarship - 2018 Davidson Fellows

Nicole Moiseyev_headshot

Nicole Moiseyev

$10,000 Scholarship Recipient

Age: 18
Closter, NJ
Category: Science and Economics
Project Title: The Effects of the Orphan Drug Act on Rare Disease Research and Drug Development: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design

Inspiration for my project stemmed from an unlikely source--like thousands of girls my age, I am a rabid fan of Grey’s Anatomy. With every rare disease Meredith treated, I was intrigued, inspired, and in need of learning more, so I researched them online. As I examined diseases in Grey’s Anatomy like astrocytoma—a tumor of supportive glial cells—I discovered the gravity of these rare diseases. In the U.S alone, 10% of people suffer from the nearly 7,000 rare diseases identified thus far—totaling over 25 million Americans. However, there are less than 500 drugs for rare diseases, implying most remain untreated. Moreover, the average price for such a drug is more than 4 times the cost of other diseases’ treatments. Propelled by my fascination with rare diseases, I took advantage of several opportunities for biological research in high school. An example: I worked with a team in a model biotechnology company toward developing a novel vaccination technology to mitigate mosquito- transmitted diseases like West Nile Encephalitis. When my group and I presented this product to a member of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), she commended our humanitarian mindset. Likewise, she explained that the FDA also works to prioritize the common good. Particularly, she mentioned the Orphan Drug Act (ODA), which provides companies with economic incentives to develop drugs for rare diseases. Fascinated by the concept of the ODA, I conducted this research project to quantify the law’s effects. 

Biography

My name is Nicole and I am a rising first-year student at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. I am both honored and thrilled to have been named a Davidson Fellow. Even more so than the scholarship itself, the recognition awarded to me for my research encourages me to continue pursuing projects such as this one with equal vigor and dedication throughout my undergraduate years and beyond. 

Inspiration for my project stemmed from an unlikely source--like thousands of girls my age, I am a rabid fan of Grey’s Anatomy. With every rare disease Meredith treated, I was intrigued, inspired, and in need of learning more, so I researched them online. As I examined diseases in Grey’s Anatomy like astrocytoma—a tumor of supportive glial cells—I discovered the gravity of these rare diseases. In the U.S alone, 10% of people suffer from the nearly 7,000 rare diseases identified thus far—totaling over 25 million Americans. However, there are less than 500 drugs for rare diseases, implying most remain untreated. Moreover, the average price for such a drug is more than 4 times the cost of other diseases’ treatments. Propelled by my fascination with rare diseases, I took advantage of several opportunities for biological research in high school. An example: I worked with a team in a model biotechnology company toward developing a novel vaccination technology to mitigate mosquito- transmitted diseases like West Nile Encephalitis. When my group and I presented this product to a member of the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA), she commended our humanitarian mindset. Likewise, she explained that the FDA also works to prioritize the common good. Particularly, she mentioned the Orphan Drug Act (ODA), which provides companies with economic incentives to develop drugs for rare diseases. Fascinated by the concept of the ODA, I conducted this research project to quantify the law’s effects. 

Having no experience in the field of health economics, it was difficult for me to initially grasp the methodologies I would have to implement in my project. However, I found that learning about statistics, regression, and its applications was by no means a chore. I overcame my initially problematic lack of knowledge by diving head-first into the field. I found that reading a combination of undergraduate economics 
and statistics resources along with peer-reviewed journal articles was the best way to build my foundation in these areas. Furthermore, I received guidance remotely from my two mentors: Professor Emily Oster, a health economist at Brown University; and Dr. Kathleen Miller, an economist for the FDA. I did have some previous knowledge that was particularly useful--for instance, from my aforementioned involvement in a model biotechnology company, I was familiar with the complexity of the R&D process and realized I would have to analyze it from multiple angles. My background in biological research also lent itself to certain assumptions I made in my project, such as the fact that the prevalence of a genetic disease remains fairly constant in a population over time. 

My research finds that many Americans with rare diseases receive adequate treatments because the ODA provided economic incentives for pharmaceutical companies to create drugs. Nonetheless, millions remain untreated because many diseases still lack a drug. My research will thus benefit this untreated population by encouraging more companies to realize the ODA’s support and develop drugs for rare diseases. Additionally, I seek to reach out to the general public as advocates. Just like the 2014 ALS ice bucket challenge spurred research into ALS, I hope to ignite similar public uproars for other diseases. I will also share my research with media outlets to inform the public. Lastly, I will also share my findings with scientists in the field to inspire more work on the ODA and rare diseases. My novel use of regression discontinuity may also enable credible evaluations of other health-related policies. Moreover, scientists will benefit by accessing my newly digitized datasets. 

As I attended a STEM-focused high school, I was extremely lucky to have access to a breadth of unique classes, clubs, and research opportunities. I pursued a research project on modeling stroke in vitro in my school’s cellular and molecular biology lab beginning my freshman year. This introduced me to the statistical methods necessary for scientific research and allowed me to take unique courses such as Developmental Biology and Introduction to Surgical Technique; in the latter, I learned to perform survival surgeries on live rats at a local hospital. This class solidified my interest in medicine and biology. Involvement in the model biotechnology company at my school exposed me to another side of science and medicine—the entrepreneurial side—and this was an invaluable experience. I will continue to explore these interests at Duke University, where I will be matriculating this fall. I hope to double major in Neuroscience and Statistical Science. 

I hope to pursue a career in medicine while training to become a physician and help conduct clinical trial research on rare diseases, so I learn how to lead such research myself one day. At the same time, I may pursue a PhD in statistics or health economics, so I can become an expert on all aspects of rare diseases, drug development, and health policy. I have also gained recognition for my project through the Regeneron Science Talent Search, in which I was named a semifinalist. As an Angier B. Duke Scholar, I have been awarded a full scholarship to Duke University and will receive funding to pursue an undergraduate research project of my choosing, which I will certainly take advantage of to explore a new side of neuroscience, statistics, or a combination of both. Other than research, I enjoy the finer things in life—playing with my labradoodle, baking desserts for my friends and family, and being outside and active. 



Q&A

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? 


Hopefully starting (or two years into) a surgical residency in a big city.

If you could have dinner with the five most interesting people in the world, living or dead, who would they be?


Vincent Van Gogh, Elon Musk ,Buddha, George R.R. martin, Anne Boleyn

What is your absolute dream job?

Chief of surgery at a huge research hospital

If you were a wrestler, what would your entrance song be?

'The Quack' by What So Not

Aside from necessities, what's one thing you could not go a day without?

My hydroflask water bottle

What lame superpower would you want?

The power to make dirty clothes clean instantly

What is one of your favorite quotes?
'Oh God, mind is going a mile an hour' - Michael Scott

If you could be on any TV show, which one would it be?

The Great British Baking Show

What is your favorite food?

Fish Tacos!

Say you're independently wealthy and don't have to work, what would you do with your time?

Go on food tours in European cities

Which skill would you like to learn?

More programming

What is your favorite tradition or holiday?

Sitting by the fire on Christmas Eve with cookies and milk.


Media

 

In the News

CLOSTER TEEN AWARDED $10,000 FOR RESEARCH QUANTIFYING THE EFFECTS OF THE ORPHAN DRUG ACT 
 Nicole Moiseyev to be Named a 2018 Davidson Fellow

 

Closter, N.J. – The Davidson Institute for Talent Development has announced the 2018 Davidson Fellows. Among the honorees is 18-year-old Nicole Moiseyev. Moiseyev won a $10,000 Davidson Fellows Scholarship for her project, The Effects of the Orphan Drug Act on Rare Disease Research and Drug Development: Evidence from a Regression Discontinuity Design. She is one of only 20 students across the country to receive this honor.

“I am both honored and thrilled to have been named a Davidson Fellow,” said Moiseyev. “Even more so than the scholarship itself, the recognition awarded to me for my research encourages me to continue pursuing projects such as this one with equal vigor and dedication throughout my undergraduate years and beyond.”

Inspiration for Moiseyev’s project stemmed from an unlikely source--like thousands of girls her age, she is a rabid fan of the hit series Grey’s Anatomy. In the United States alone, 10 percent of people suffer from the nearly 7,000 rare diseases identified thus far—totaling more than 25 million Americans. However, there are less than 500 drugs for rare diseases, implying most remain untreated. Moreover, the average price for such a drug is more than four times the cost of other diseases’ treatments. Propelled by her fascination with rare diseases, she took advantage of several opportunities for biological research in high school. She discovered the Orphan Drug Act (ODA), which provides companies with economic incentives to develop drugs for rare diseases could help solve this problem. Fascinated by the concept of the ODA, she conducted her research project to quantify the law’s effects. 

Click here to download the full press release


Photos

Click the links below to see hi-res photos of Nicole:

      



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Mission

Started in 1999, the Davidson Institute for Talent Development is a 501(c)3 private operating foundation. Our mission is to recognize, nurture and support profoundly intelligent young people ages 18 and under, and to provide opportunities for them to develop their talents to make a positive difference. Profoundly gifted students are those who score in the 99.9th percentile on IQ and achievement tests. Read more about this population in this article.

E-mail:
info@davidsongifted.org
Location:
Reno, Nevada