A LEADING Clydebank college graduate has been helping with the pandemic response in her base in New York.

Dr Samantha Le Sommer and colleagues at the Masonic Medical Research Institute in Utica, New York, processed Covid-19 tests for the local hospital with their lab facilities normally used for research.

Her day job, as a post-doctoral research fellow, is studying how and why the disease lupus develops in hopes of finding new drugs and treatments.

There are currently no cures for the illness.

Samantha started out in further education at West College Scotland (WCS) in Clydebank where she studied applied sciences.

She recently got back in touch with WCS in support of the national “Choose College” campaign.

She said: “For me, WCS was the start of my career path, and my lecturers helped me create the road map to get to where I wanted to be.

“No matter where it is you want to go the college will do its utmost to help you get there.

“College acted as a stepping-stone between school and university for me. I learned how to overcome failure and started off on this exciting and rewarding career path.”

Sandra Spence, science curriculum quality leader at WCS, said: “We are so proud of Sam’s achievements, and her story is an excellent example of what can be achieved by our students, many of whom have gone on to have successful careers in research, the health service or scientific manufacturing.”

She continued, “Whilst we can’t all be like Sam carrying out fantastic work in America, we can make a difference. 

“The dramatic impact scientists have had on how the world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic is a perfect example of that.”

New York state has been one of the worst hit parts of the US during the pandemic, with more than 1.8 million cases and almost 50,000 deaths. More than 31 per cent of the state’s population have had at least one vaccine dose.