UNF biomedical sciences student conducts research at MIT and Mayo Clinic

When Cameron Hartmoyer was 10 years old, his sister was born with a rare genetic condition that resulted in several severe disabilities.

He grew up knowing he wanted to work in medicine and help kids just like his sister.

When he was 17, his family moved to Florida and Hartmoyer began applying for college. When he was accepted into the biomedical programs at both Florida State University and the University of North Florida, he chose UNF.

"I heard about UNF's collaborations with Mayo Clinic and it was my dream to work there," said Hartmoyer.

At UNF, Hartmoyer jumped into his studies, initially planning to go to medical school after his undergraduate degree.

Cameron was selected to participate in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded program at UNF to train students in biomedical research. As part of the program, he took part in three biomedical research lab rotations. At UNF in Dr. Marie Mooney's laboratory for bioinformatics, genomics, health and technology, he studied neurodevelopmental disorders and in Dr. John Hatle's lab, he studied the effects of nutrition on aging and reproduction.

He began to fall in love with the research aspect of medicine, and his passion solidified during his rotation at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.

He enjoyed it so much that he applied for and received an additional summer research fellowship to continue his work at Mayo. The following summer, he started another prestigious research program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Landing at Mayo Clinic

Hartmoyer has conducted two years of research in Mayo Clinic's Translational Cardiovascular Disease Research Laboratory under Dr. DeLisa Fairweather.

Mayo's Fairweather Lab studies the identification of biomarkers that can be used as diagnostic and therapeutic targets for cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases. Hartmoyer worked on a project studying how some viral infections such as Coxsackievirus and COVID-19 can lead to heart inflammation, specifically how extracellular vesicles (EVs) with mitochondrial and viral content can cause myocarditis.

"It was an amazing experience working in such a collaborative lab, getting to learn directly from Mayo Clinic researchers, scientists and doctors," said Hartmoyer.

Hartmoyer is one of the authors of two published papers resulting from this research, and a third paper will be coming out sometime in the next year.

In 2025, he presented his work and won a poster excellence award at the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minoritized Scientists (ABRCMS), which is the largest student-focused biomedical conference in the country.

Moving up to MIT

Hartmoyer was also accepted into the highly competitive MIT Summer Research Program in Biology for summer 2025. He worked in the Moura Silva Lab at the Laboratory of Immuno-Physiology in the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, MIT and Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The lab seeks to understand fundamental immune-related pathways that modulate organ and tissue physiology.

Hartmoyer worked on research looking at vascular-associated macrophages (VAMs), a special group of immune cells that sit on blood vessels and help regulate how tissues stay healthy. His research focused on building a model to understand why types of VAMs behave differently and how they contribute to obesity, diabetes and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's.

"I had an incredible experience at MIT," said Hartmoyer. "In addition to the research, we met so many academic and biotech industry professionals, did career development workshops and had some of the biggest names in biology and neuroscience come to talk to us about their work."

He said he was most inspired by Nobel Laureate, Phil Sharp, who co-discovered RNA splicing and won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1993.

A future in biomedical research

When Dr. Terri Ellis, UNF biomedical sciences associate professor and director of the NIH training program, first met Hartmoyer, he was a shy student.

"Working in research labs and being part of a supportive team has given him confidence to develop as a student, researcher and communicator," Ellis said. "He now is a confident speaker who can discuss the complex aspects of his research with clarity and in detail. He found his calling in biomedical research, and I look forward to following how his career develops from these early research experiences."

When Hartmoyer isn't busy conducting lifesaving immunology research, he likes to spend his downtime playing esports. He is currently a team member of the UNF Esports Club and was on the Valorant teamduring his freshman year. He recently participated in the grand opening of UNF's Flight Deck Esports & Innovation Arena.

"Gaming is a great way to relax while also connecting with friends and sharpening teamwork and communication skills," shared Hartmoyer.

Hartmoyer will graduate from the UNF College of Arts and Sciences and the Hicks Honors College this spring with a bachelor's degree in biomedical sciences.

After making numerous connections with professionals and enjoying his time at MIT so much, he is currently applying for lab tech and post-baccalaureateresearch positions in Boston. After spending a few years working, he would like to return to graduate school to pursue a PhD in immunology and microbiology.

"UNF is such a great school," said Hartmoyer. "The way the courses are designed to support undergraduate research is so important and not available at every school. Choosing UNF was absolutely one of the best decisions I've ever made."