Colin Nemeth
2025 Ignatian Hoya Recipient
M.S. in Integrative Neuroscience
Service isn’t about fixing people, but about responding with care and respect. I believe that science, when wielded with intention, has the power to restore dignity and affirm life.
About Colin
Colin is from Charleston, South Carolina. Before coming to Georgetown Biomedical Graduate Education, he attended the Villanova University.
What community service activity has meant the most to you?
The community service that’s meant the most to me has been my work around public health at Villanova and in Philadelphia. On campus, it showed me how hard but important it is to talk honestly about health in spaces that aren’t always ready for it. In the city, working alongside people directly impacted by substance use grounded everything I was learning in real life. That mix taught me that service isn’t about fixing people, but about responding with care and respect. I believe that science, when wielded with intention, has the power to restore dignity and affirm life.
What is your academic focus? What sparked your interest in it?
I study integrative neuroscience with a focus on public health and how systems shape health outcomes. My interest started with hands-on work in substance use education and harm reduction, where I saw how biology and policy landscapes collide in real ways. That pushed me to want a deeper scientific understanding of the brain alongside a broader public health lens.
What motivates you?
I’m motivated by taking broad scientific knowledge and using it to help individual people. I care about the moment where neuroscience stops being abstract and start guiding real decisions in medicine or casework.
What advice would you give to future BGE students?
Follow the questions that genuinely call to you, not just the ones that sound impressive. The program gives you room to explore new ideas with scientists that are experts in specific things, so talk to people doing work you admire and let your interests evolve.