Isabella Grayson

2025 Ignatian Hoya Recipient

M.S. in Physiology & Biophysics

About Isabella

Isabella is from Thomasville, Georgia. Before coming to Georgetown Biomedical Graduate Education, she earned her Bachelor of Science from Davidson College.

What community service activity has meant the most to you?

I have found the greatest passion and dedication to my service activities carried out in my hometown of Thomasville, GA, a rural South Georgia. Even graduating high school with 36 other students and residing amongst only 18,000 other individuals, I found myself able to advocate for and grow alongside a vast array of populations and cultures in a single area. I now reside in Washington, DC, 800 miles away, but I still feel connected to Thomasville. I have friends who still reside there, along with my family, and the service initiatives that I’ve been a part of still remain, and I’m often reminded of their ongoing impacts.

Being raised by two physicians, I spent many Saturday mornings as a young girl on hospital rounds with my father, a urologist, sitting in the nurse’s station on the west wing of the fourth floor of John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital, a 264-bed hospital serving numerous rural counties across southern Georgia. The hospital bustled with patients, staff, and visitors, and I often found comfort in drawing pictures, images that still decorate the station years later, spinning in the chairs, and sharing a smile with nurses and other providers. While many looked forward to Saturday morning cartoons and weekend breakfasts, this was my favorite part of the week. At the young age of 13, and without medical training, I looked to advocate for and serve patients in the way I knew best, through the activity that had started it all: art. In 2014, I founded The Tranquility Project, a service project aimed at creating a calming and serene environment for each patient who visited the Breast Biopsy Suite at the Women’s Imaging Center at John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital. As a tween, I loved Lilly Pulitzer dresses, and I found their patterns and colors as stunning representations of floral landscapes. From this, I used my love of creativity, art, and fashion to create the template and inspiration for a floral ceiling “mural,” formed by individual ceiling tiles painted by local students, many of whom had personal connections to breast cancer. Every piece was unique, and it was exciting to see the pride behind each young artist’s work towards a cause they felt passion for. I felt called to pursue this after hearing about the “sterile” environment experienced by patients from various family friends, and I knew I wanted to make a difference. The tiles were installed and unveiled during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in an event attended by survivors, hospital volunteers, and healthcare professionals. Upon completion of the project, I was approached by individuals who wished to donate to the cause, and I was honored to become an ambassador for Kickin’ Cancer, a local non-profit supporting breast cancer patients with essential needs including medical services, living expenses, and necessary support. Even though I wasn’t able to medically provide for patients and survivors, I was able to raise an awareness of necessity in providing for those undergoing treatment, no matter the mechanism. This artistic initiative remains a cherished art installation to this day and continues to receive positive feedback from both patients and medical staff over a decade later.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, working as a volunteer seemed difficult. Shelter-in-place orders, worry of infection, and other obstructive measures inhibited serving. During this time, however, I saw a need and felt an even greater desire to be a light in the difficult times of myself and my neighbors. As an aspiring physician, I have always dreamt of attending medical school. It is a goal that I have reached towards for as long as I can remember, and it’s one that I could not reach myself without support and inspiration from my family, friends, and community. In 2020, a member of the medical community in Thomasville, GA, passed away from cancer. Rebecca Sanders was a nurse, mother, and friend and exuded kindness, selflessness, and passion about the future of the medical community. She was also a very close family friend and the mother of a high school classmate. Daily, she inspired others through her hard work and dedication for giving to others. Following her passing, I thought about how I could continue her legacy of service in her honor. From this, I founded The Rebecca Sanders Nursing Education Scholarship Fund. By leading donor and volunteer involvement, I was able to practice COVID-19 safety measures while still recognizing this amazing mentor. In only the first year, the fund raised over $75,000.00 for scholarships for nursing students in her memory. While I originally feared I wouldn’t be able to honor Rebecca’s life of service and compassion due to the pandemic, I am honored to have been able to share her passions and story. I have been inspired by many to continue my own medical education, and the ability to pass along that inspiration to others in my community is nothing short of inspiring. The scholarship fund is ongoing, and I am eager and excited for the future of donations and volunteer engagement. Daily, I feel nothing but gratitude for each donor and am constantly reminded of not only how much Rebecca meant to me, but to our small Thomasville, GA, community as well.

I believe that all acts of service have the ability to transform the world we live in, no matter the methods, action, or size. While I am not able to cure breast cancer or break all barriers to medical education, I reflect on these experiences and am honored that I might have a hand in bettering the lives of others around me. I hope to spread goodness, compassion, and dedication to members of my community, wherever I am, and my greatest wish is that my engagements would inspire others in seeking to contribute to their own passions.

Why did you choose your program at Georgetown BGE for your graduate studies?

As my undergraduate education was completed at an institution without graduate programs, I didn’t fully appreciate the wide array of program types often offered at graduate institutions. When researching Georgetown University, I found numerous programs that sparked my interest, but ultimately recognized that the physiology program was the one for me with its distinct parallels to my own desired paths and goals. Admittedly, however, I was intimidated a bit by the “Georgetown University” name, and wondered if I would be a good fit. On January 7th, 2025, I received a phone call from the director of my program, Dr. Watson. Unfortunately, I missed the call due to my workday at the endoscopy center, but he left a voicemail congratulating me on my acceptance into the program, offering answers to any questions I might have, and communicating a sense of confidence in my ability to be a strong member of the cohort. When I did call him back, he answered every question, and even offered additional contacts and information pertaining to my specific interests. I have always been someone who values connections with others and have great appreciation for my mentors. This simple phone call extended beyond a simple “You’ve been accepted!” email message, and I immediately knew Georgetown was a place I could call home.

What do you want to do after earning your degree? What are your career or life goals?

After earning my degree in Physiology and Biophysics, I will be applying to medical school and hoping to matriculate in fall of 2027. Over the next year, I plan to continue working towards graduation in May, coach my third season of springboard diving for Merrimack Park over the summer, hone my medical school application, continue working in the BCU at MedStar WHC, and I also hope to work towards a “Phase II” of the Tranquility Project and bring this project to Washington, DC.

If you could meet one scientist, who would you want to meet and why?

If I could meet one scientist, I would LOVE to meet Wilson Greatbatch. While he had a background rooted in engineering, his list of contributions to numerous fields of science is long. After accidentally inventing the first implantable cardiac pacemaker while attempting to build an oscillator to record cardiac sounds, he decided that he would follow his discovery through and worked to patent non-corrosive, lithium-iodide batteries that would extend the longevity of pacemakers. These batteries are still used in pacemakers today and have made a difference in the lives of countless individuals. As a student researcher in the battery chemistry and science field, I would love to hear of his stories in the lab, and of how he balanced roadblocks, successes, and groundbreaking discoveries all while having such a profound impact on the field of science.