The United States of America is certainly not a near and dear country to aspire to. The American Dream envisioned by millions of people around the world must present tremendous challenges for those who want to climb one of the ladders of success. But it was that hope that brought a woman from West Nusa Tenggara to fly so far, chasing her dreams in Uncle Sam's country.

Evhy Apryani, an alumnus of Faculty of Fanmation (FF) Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR) is happy to share her journey to become a medical staff and research fellow at one of the world's leading medical institutions, Harvard Medical School.

Flying to Uncle Sam's country since 2020, Evhy achieved this position with quite extraordinary efforts and results. The woman born in NTB on April 7, 1985 was accepted by at least four well-known US campuses. Harvard Medical School was finally chosen as the port where she worked and continued - post-doctoral studies. Not just an ordinary job, Evhy was entrusted with three major projects, one of which was trying to research treatments for Alzheimer's patients.

From Research to Research

Evhy's love for research didn't come out of nowhere. It started when she was still studying at FF UNAIR. Evhy told how at that time she was supported to participate in competitions, research, and conferences. Of course, the support came from the lecturers and the academic environment of FF UNAIR. "I am very grateful. UNAIR Pharmacy at that time was very supportive, providing guidance, funding, and assistance in competitions and conferences within and outside UNAIR," recalled the researcher who has published 13 international publications.

Now that she is actually involved in research, Evhy feels how meaningful the knowledge she gained at FF UNAIR was. For her, the basic knowledge she gained back then turned out to be useful when she was required to research Alzheimer's disease at Harvard Medical School.

For Evhy, research is actually not an easy thing. The process can even be overwhelming and stressful. The results will not always meet expectations. However, it is also very possible for research to be ground breaking, which can lead to new discoveries. The challenges and twists and turns of the research process are what made Evhy fall in love with a world that others often find so difficult.

Not - surprisingly - it was her research activities that led her to meet a Malaysian lecturer at a conference. Hearing about Evhy's undergraduate research, she was invited by the lecturer to present her research in Thailand. That opportunity then led her to navigate new stages of life in Malaysia and China.

Studying Abroad to Joining the Putri Indonesia Pageant

Enjoying every process has always been Evhy's motivation in struggling and overcoming challenges. But who would have thought, this motivation led her to continue her Master's degree in Physiology at Universiti Putra Malaysia in 2007.

During this time, Evhy also had the opportunity to represent her region, NTB, in the Miss Indonesia 2006 and Putri Indonesia 2008 events. The Putri Intelegensia award winner revealed how at that time she had to be able to represent and introduce the potential of her region which at that time was not widely known. Successfully bringing the good name of NTB and being rewarded with an education scholarship, Evhy chose to continue her studies in Malaysia.

After pursuing her knowledge in Malaysia, Evhy began her career journey in several jobs. Starting from research staff at the Institute of Tropical Disease (ITD) UNAIR to lecturer and researcher at Surya University Tangerang and Biomedical Engineering International University Liaison Indonesia. While working at ITD, Evhy was also involved in joint research as Assistant Research for Japan International - Cooperation Agency Project.

Starting her career quite brilliantly, Evhy did not become complacent. In 2015, she decided to continue her doctoral studies. Of the many options available, Evhy finally made her choice on the School of Pharmacy Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China.

"Many people think that research from China is not good enough. In fact, in recent years, China has been more productive and their funding is greater than the US. There, I also had the opportunity to learn and work as a study director," explained the winner of the International Student Excellent Award, Shanghai Jiaotong University.

In addition, Evhy also received various tempting offers. Starting from a global offer for Post-Doctoral studies at Peking University to study director. But even though Evhy had planned to stay, it turned out that fate brought Evhy to one of the largest research and educational institutions in the world, Harvard Medical School.

Trusted to Research Alzheimer's

"At that time China was in lockdown. Finally, I tried to apply for jobs at several institutions in the US. I tried Stanford University, University of California, Michigan University, and Harvard Medical School. Thankfully, I was accepted at all of those universities. From there, I started doing various large research projects," said Evhy, who has lived in Boston, USA since December 2020.

Now after almost a year working as a Mass Eye and Ear research fellow at HMS, Evhy has recorded extraordinary achievements. She is entrusted with several research projects, one of which is a large-scale research on Alzheimer's disease in collaboration with a world-renowned biopharmaceutical company, Curevac.

"I focus on screening and researching genetic mutations in alzheimer's patients, and I also have an on-going project researching medical needs for eyes and vascular imaging," explained the woman who is also doing Post-Doctoral studies at Harvard.

Evhy channeled all her abilities and dedication in the research. Moreover, the research has tremendous funding, involves many parties, and will be intended for industrial needs in the development of Alzheimer's drugs.

Her position and activities at HMS then made Evhy dream further for her future. She wants to realize her bigger goal of one day having an academic position at HMS. "Of course, I still have a long way to go to achieve that. I'm also trying to be open to other options whether it's exploration in academia or industry," says the woman who enjoys wall climbing, tennis, squash and fiee diving.

Seeing the advancement of the research ecosystem in the US, Evhy hopes that the same can soon be realized in Indonesia. She sees that research in Indonesia is not yet well-founded with an unorganized research direction. Even so, Evhy does not deny that he would be very happy if in the future he gets an offer to return to Indonesia.

Through his achievements, journey, and the twists and turns of his career, Evhy believes that every process, no matter what form it takes, is a lesson to be learned. From being a college student in Indonesia to pursuing her career and studies in Malaysia, China, and the US, Evhy realizes that mindset, communication skills, and the willingness to fight are very important assets that are useful wherever we are.

Soruce : Jejak Langkah Ksatria Airlangga Edisi VI