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Arjun Luthra

Project Introduction and Purpose Paper


This paper will serve as an introduction to my Independent Study Mentorship project and
will provide an overview of its content. This paper will explain my chosen topic of study and
reasons for choosing it. In addition, this paper will outline my project procedure, including what
research will be conducted. As part of my project, I will create a tangible product, which will
reflect what I have learned in my mentorship experience. The tangible product will be discussed
thoroughly within this paper. Most importantly, this paper will discuss how the project is not
only pertinent to my personal goals, but to all audiences.
My name is Arjun Luthra and I am a senior at Clear Springs High School. Throughout
high school, I have been part of many extracurricular activities. I have been actively involved in
Health Occupations Students of America and have taken leadership role in my schools Student
United Way, an organization that is dedicated to community service and volunteer work. In
recent years, I have become increasingly passionate about the medical field. Last semester, I
worked with a colorectal surgeon and learned so much cancer and how it manifests in the body. I
became aware of the new advances in treatment of cancer and learned more about what the
cutting-edge research is happening to study cancer. The amount of knowledge I have attained has
encouraged and prompted me to continue observing in the health care setting. To expand my
horizons, I have chosen to shadow within the Department of Allergy and Immunology. I have
also grown up with cousins facing extreme cases of atopic dermatitis. I chose this field to learn
what occurs in the body that prompted the allergic reactions that occurred in my cousin. The
immune system is largely responsible in how we also fight against viruses and harmful bacteria.
Because this field covers a large expanse of what we know about the human body, I chose to
shadow to follow Dr. Sur and Dr. Patel, both immunologists and physicians at UTMB.

Arjun Luthra
For the purposes of this course, I have chosen the topic of the Human Papillomavirus. I
will learn more about the occurrence of this virus in adolescents and adults. I will learn about
what we can do to decrease the high risk development in this specific population. In order to
pursue my goals, I have developed a step by step procedure. Every Thursday, I attend
immunology conference and every week a fellow presents a specific topic within the scope of
allergy and immunology. At these conferences, I acquire resources, which will serve as project
artifacts. My first step for research I have taken was to learn how the human papillomavirus
manifests in the human body and how our immune system responds to the virus. Initially, I
started researching about meningococcal disease, which is caused by a bacterial infection. I will
differentiate HPV from diseases like meningitis. In addition, I will identify the causes and
symptoms of HPV. Next, I will learn about the different types of HPV infection and their
respective vaccinations. In order to understand vaccinations for HPV, I will be contacting
colleges and universities through email that provide services to vaccinate for HPV. Lastly, I will
research the correlation between cervical cancer and HPV. For example, I have been looking at
recent journal articles from the World Health Organization and news articles that discuss how the
HPV vaccination was initially used to treat the female population for cervical cancer.
After completing my long-term research, I will develop a tangible product that will be
pertinent, educational and applicable to all the adolescent population. I will be creating an
educational brochure discussing HPV. It will discuss the causes, symptoms, diagnosis and
prognosis of HPV. In addition to creating a brochure, I will try to also build a phone app that will
be useful to college students. I will be compiling data from different universities, listing all the
different vaccinations that UT Austin and other colleges have implemented. These two

Arjun Luthra
educational resources I will create will be distributed to students and will explain important facts
that students will need to know about sexually transmitted infections.
From my project, I hope adolescents and adults will recognize HPV, a sexually
transmitted infection, as a growing issue. My goal for my project is to encourage college students
to reduce risky behavior that could lead to HPV. I also want students in college or transitioning to
college to receive vaccination for HPV although it is not required as it is for bacterial meningitis.
I personally believe this project will speak volumes to high school and college students regarding
what precautions can be taken to prevent an infection, which can highly contribute to the
development of types of cancer.

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