Rachel is from Saint Louis, Missouri and is currently a student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Majoring in cognitive science, she enjoys almost anything pertaining to philosophy, neurobiology, psychology, and linguistics. Her academic interests vary and range from metaphysics to immunology to social cognition. She prefers old and worn, coverless books to new ones and loves authors ranging from Mitchell to Updike. Her time spent not studying is occupied almost exclusively by friends.
Rachel was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in 2001 and is passionate about IBD related issues - including pediatric patient education, the interplay between psychological and biological manifestations of IBD, and the psychosocial ramifications of adolescent chronic illness. She spends time each August volunteering for CCFA's Camp Oasis and it remains one of the highlights of her summer (secondary to her time spent in Chicago of course).
She joins the Rubin Group this summer with great enthusiasm for their initiative and research.