Overview

James Colwell, a premedical gap-year fellow born in Houston, TX, joined the Tricoastal Narcolepsy and Sleep Disorders Center team in May 2025. Driven by a strong interest in patient care, neurology, and clinical research, he began working at Tricoastal to deepen his understanding of the medical field. Through this experience, he aims to strengthen his patient interaction skills and gain valuable insight into the healthcare system. James is currently applying to medical school and aspires to pursue a career in surgery. 

Education

James graduated summa cum laude from Boston University in 2025 with a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering. While at BU, he was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, and Alpha Epsilon Delta, the pre-health honor society. In his senior year, he served as treasurer of Alpha Epsilon Delta, where he played a key role in securing funding for events, including a Networking Dinner and Suturing event. For his Senior Design project, James and his team investigated the efficacy of cognitive therapy for Aphasia patients using fNIRS hyperscanning, a noninvasive, light-based neuroimaging technique. Their research earned them an invitation to present at the 17th Annual Meeting of the Society for the Neurobiology of Language, which will be held in Washington, D.C., in September 2025.

Employment

• Gap Year Fellow, Tricoastal Narcolepsy and Sleep Disorder Center (May 2025- Present)

• Emergency Medical Technician, Brewster Ambulances (October 2024 - April 2025)

• Research Assistant, Smirnakis Laboratory Brigham and Women’s Hospital (January 2024 - May 2025)

Last updated: August 2025