2008 POINT SCHOLARS

Lee Adam Wheeler

Harvard University and Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

MD and Ph.D. in Immunology

Lee Adam grew up in a conservative community in Calgary, Canada. His early childhood, in many ways, typified the quintessential suburban existence – but as time went on, he began to see that "hospitality" in his community had definite limits. In his community, diversity was rarely met with a welcoming smile. So often the object of both ridicule and rumor, Lee Adam took refuge in his academic studies and devoted his free time to volunteer work in the community.

This raw desire to help others took on new meaning upon moving to the west coast, where Lee Adam opened his eyes to the true face of human adversity. Participation in various health initiatives in local homeless shelters and hospice facilities for people living with HIV/AIDS, was formative in his decision to focus his academic ambitions on the science of human health, and eventually motivated his application to medical school.

Lee Adam is currently pursuing a MD from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Immunology from Harvard Graduate School of Arts & Sciences in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is actively engaged in community service with at-risk individuals in Boston's inner city, and he plans to pursue a PhD to research alternate therapeutic approaches to both treating and preventing infection with HIV.