Going for the goal

By Sarah Anderson, PhD

Annalise Wong is used to hustling on the ice, but for her last game as captain of the UBC Women’s Hockey team, she had to hustle to the ice. Annalise completed an interview for medical school and then raced to the rink to finish out the game with her team. Coming off of their championship of the Canada West conference, the Thunderbirds were once again victorious in the final game of the national tournament.

For Annalise, a fifth-year undergraduate student in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, hockey, science, and UBC run in the family. Growing up in nearby Richmond, she started playing hockey in kindergarten, following in the footsteps of her father and two older brothers. She also followed them to UBC, where all three studied STEM fields. Her father went on to become a doctor, which nurtured Annalise’s interest in the health and life sciences. 

Throughout her undergraduate studies, Annalise has enjoyed learning about the real-world applications and impacts of microbiology and immunology. One of her favourite classes was a virology course taught by Dr. François Jean and Dr. Marcia Graves, where she dug into the scientific literature to design a new antiviral drug. She also participated in a Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE), where she used data science techniques to characterize the community of endometrial microbes in in vitro fertilization patients and published her findings in the department’s Undergraduate Journal of Experimental Microbiology and Immunology (UJEMI).  

Annalise was also intrigued when she learned about Dr. Maria Tokuyama’s research on autoimmunity while taking her introductory immunology course, and she reached out in pursuit of additional research experience. Since 2024, Annalise has worked in the Tokuyama lab on a project that leverages computational tools to illuminate the role of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) — remnants of ancient viral infections that became integrated into the human genome — in multiple sclerosis. She is analyzing data from patient brain samples to identify potential correlations between the types and levels of ERVs and protein-encoding RNA molecules that are present. “The big picture is to try to understand, from a bioinformatics level, if ERVs might be involved in multiple sclerosis, because past research has shown that they are important in other autoimmune disorders. We’re trying to strengthen that knowledge gap,” Annalise said.

Juggling everything on Annalise’s plate, which is even fuller than the standard overscheduled science student’s, has been an exercise in organization, time management, and confidence. “In the beginning, I experienced a bit of self-doubt regarding whether I was on the right path. Sometimes, students in my classes would ask questions, and I didn’t even understand the questions they were asking,” Annalise said. “But I learned to not be afraid to reach out to my professors for support and go to office hours. Through that, I realized that there were many other students struggling with the same concepts. So, I think it’s really important to believe in yourself, believe that you belong, and ask for help when you need it.” 

While it’s challenging to achieve balance as a student athlete, Annalise’s work on the ice has equipped her with skills that she can apply in the classroom and the lab. “Science, like hockey, depends on teamwork; you have to be able to collaborate, utilize people’s unique strengths, and incorporate other ideas,” Annalise said. “They also both require a good work ethic and the ability to power through when things get tough.”

As Annalise prepares to graduate this spring, she will most miss spending time with the people in both her science and sports communities, who have been brought together from a wide range of backgrounds to share in these formative years of her life. Looking forward, Annalise hopes to attend medical school, and, having enjoyed coaching children and volunteering with adolescents with special needs through the hockey program, is considering pursuing a career in pediatric or family medicine. “I hope to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives and help them in times when they can’t help themselves,” she said.

The Department of Microbiology and Immunology congratulates Annalise on her accomplishments and wishes her the best in her future endeavours!