{"id":3504,"date":"2021-08-10T20:29:20","date_gmt":"2021-08-11T02:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/?p=3504"},"modified":"2021-08-10T20:29:20","modified_gmt":"2021-08-11T02:29:20","slug":"faithful-healer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/faithful-healer\/","title":{"rendered":"Faithful Healer"},"content":{"rendered":"

The journey of one alumnus from OBU, to an elite graduate program, to the front lines of research on the hunt for a COVID<\/span>–<\/span>19 vaccine.<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cTransformation\u201d is a powerful word, especially in higher education. But every now and then, someone comes along and reminds us that in truth, it\u2019s much more than a word.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When Lucas Adams came to Oklahoma Baptist University in 2012, he wouldn\u2019t have told anyone at the time that he was looking to be transformed. His credentials coming out of high school were impeccable, highlighted by recognition as a National Merit Finalist, an honor bestowed on just one percent of high school students nationwide.<\/p>\n

Still, Adams simply wanted a college experience that would effectively prepare him for his next step in life, in a place where faith would permeate all aspects of teaching and learning.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI had narrowed it down to a small handful of colleges, but none of them felt like home until I visited OBU,\u201d he said. \u201cThere was just a closeness among the people that\u2019s hard to describe, everyone seemed happy. I could tell it was a place where students were valued, and valued uniquely.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\u201c\u2026 I just walk away from the lab every day grateful that I get to study creation and I get to understand the creative nature of God.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

An Atmosphere of Ambition<\/span><\/h3>\n

Among the many things that, to this day, stand out in his memory about his time at OBU is the level of ambition, achievement and togetherness among students and faculty. It was this sense of community and support that set Adams on his path toward a future in medicine and medical research.<\/p>\n

A faculty mentor helped connect
\nhim with an internship at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, an opportunity typically uncommon for students at the undergraduate level.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just one example of how invested OBU\u2019s faculty are in their students,\u201d he said. \u201cEverything about the experience is designed for the good of the student. There are no barriers. My professor knew that I wanted to do research for my career and really fought for me to get that position in Oklahoma City. That kind of opportunity can only happen at a place where they want<\/i> to know you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adams\u2019 exceptional academic work within OBU\u2019s distinctively Christian setting, along with the experience he gained at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, were key ingredients to the next step on his path toward a future in research \u2013 the National Institutes of Health (NIH).<\/p>\n

A Real, Powerful Impact<\/span><\/h3>\n

For the next two years, Adams lived, learned and worked in Washington D.C. conducting HIV research at the NIH. And it was there that he deepened his appreciation for two truths that would continue to guide his personal walk with God and his career in medicine.<\/p>\n

One of those is the powerful, real-life impact that he knows his research can have on individuals, families and communities everywhere. The other is the undeniable connection he sees between science and faith.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Scripture, Paul says that when you look at the heavens and see the stars dazzling and this expanse of space above you, that you are without excuse,\u201d he said. \u201cThat you ought to be in awe and in reverence of what you see, recognizing the order that God has instilled within creation.\u201d<\/p>\n

And it was exactly that sense of awe that drew him into science from the very beginning.<\/p>\n

The Science of God<\/span><\/h3>\n

In a world where too many believe that science runs counter to faith, Adams sees just the opposite. He sees a biological and physical world that\u2019s been put together in an amazingly ordered fashion. He sees creativity and beauty. And he sees the nature of God\u2019s imprint as a powerful force for positive change.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, that\u2019s always been one of my strongest personal convictions about the nature of God,\u201d he said. \u201cThat He\u2019s imprinted his own creativity and order on what He\u2019s created. And there certainly is creativity, because when you study biology and you study viruses for instance, you find a lot of bizarre things. You find a lot of things that seem so very counterintuitive, but I just walk away from the lab every day grateful that I get to study creation and I get to understand the creative nature of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the outlook he brought with him upon graduation from OBU and at the completion of his internship at the NIH. And he brought it to one of the most respected graduate institutions in the world \u2013 Washington University in St. Louis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Adams was accepted into a dual M.D.\/Ph.D. program and was able to join the virology labs of renowned infectious disease experts Daved Fremont and Michael Diamond. With one vaccine candidate currently in clinical trials, they are now studying potential weaknesses in SARS-CoV-2 that could lead to improved vaccines or targeted treatments to combat emerging variants of concern.<\/p>\n

Fighting for Our Future<\/span><\/h3>\n

Working on the front line of vaccine research in an effort to combat a global pandemic means many different things to Adams. He describes it as humbling, exhausting, inspiring and a little bizarre. Scientists aren\u2019t typically looking for a stage or a spotlight. Nevertheless, the spotlight has found him.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s bizarre to be working on something that my family and friends ask me about, all the time. People in science aren\u2019t really used to that,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s also humbling. There\u2019s a sense of urgency. Everyone in the lab has been working long hours, for months now. Everyone\u2019s exhausted, but no one\u2019s giving in.\u201d<\/p>\n

The promise of the current vaccines, he says, is exciting. The research he\u2019s currently involved in could lead to second generation COVID-19 vaccines that might bring new advantages in areas such as effectiveness and ease of distribution, among others.<\/p>\n

But amidst the uncertainty, it\u2019s the transformation Adams experienced at OBU that continues to guide his work, with the power to transform the future for all of us.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s important to me that the way I conduct science brings glory to God,\u201d he said. \u201cI treat the people around me with respect. To approach my work with humility, to approach my work recognizing that I will never know everything there is to know, but I can hope to understand some of the ways which God has designed the world around us and hopefully use that to help people.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The journey of one alumnus from OBU, to an elite graduate program, to the front lines of research on the hunt for a COVID–19 vaccine. \u201cTransformation\u201d is a powerful word, especially in higher education. But every now and then, someone comes along and reminds us that in truth, it\u2019s much more than a word.\u00a0 When […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":3546,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":""},"categories":[224,221],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/LucasLab_OBUMagSPR21.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7BMz3-Uw","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3504"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3505,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3504\/revisions\/3505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3546"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.okbu.edu\/obumagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}