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“If the public believes science means one guy has a massive breakthrough and then everything’s great, we’re not going to look for a broader solution,” Vona says. “We’re not going to prioritize the vital teamwork of science and the work beyond a cool thing in a petri dish.”

These gaps in public perception of science are exactly what Vona explores through her work with the HHIVE Lab at UNC-Chapel Hill. Based in the English department, the lab links the humanities and health sciences, with the goal to “prepare the next generation to think across disciplines, consult their values and passions, and tackle real-world problems to create meaningful social change.”

For the past two years, Vona has worked closely with English professor Kym Weed on a project exploring antimicrobial resistance (AMR) narratives. AMR occurs when pathogens become resistant to the drugs designed to kill them. Each year in the United States, 2.8 million infections result from AMR and 35,000 people die as a result, according to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

As a double-major in English and biology, Vona strives to understand both the science and narratives behind AMR to educate the public on the risks and realities and encourage governmental agencies to create better policies for these drugs.

“When people talk about AMR, they talk about how antibiotics won’t work one day,” Vona says. “But this is a present-day problem, not just a future one.”

Science and stories

When Vona was 12 years old, her parents often found her awake long after bedtime, quietly reading under the covers in the dark, careful not to alert anyone to her late-night habit.

“Every now and then they’d peek in and say, ‘Sophia, you’re going to ruin your eyes. Stop doing that,’” she recalls with a laugh.

Her curiosity wasn’t limited to books. Vona grew up with a grandfather who held a PhD in physics and eagerly shared scientific concepts with her at every opportunity.

“He would basically try to teach me quantum physics,” she says. “I had no idea what he was talking about most of the time — but I loved that so much. I think I always knew I wanted to do something scientific.”

That early blend of curiosity and storytelling laid the foundation for Vona’s unique academic path — one that bridges biology and English to tackle real-world health challenges.

As a first year at Carolina, she joined a microbiology and immunology lab to explore research firsthand. Though she enjoyed the work, she quickly realized traditional lab science wasn’t her path.

Around the same time, she discovered the HHIVE Lab through an English class and attended a meeting where they discussed the intersection of literature and society — sparking something deeper in Vona.

“I was blown away by these big ideas — how science works in everyday life, how people make decisions without formal training,” she says. “HHIVE brings together two things I love: biology and the cultural forces that shape how science functions in society.”

Excess and access

For her research, Vona is working with HHIVE Co-Director Kym Weed on an international working group comprised of scholars from various fields, including epidemiology, ethics, legal studies, policy, and science communication. Their goal is to investigate the current drivers of AMR, develop a framework to unpack the complexities of the problem, and inform legislative and health care policies.

One of the big challenges, according to Vona, is reducing the use of antimicrobials while also preserving access for those who really need them.

“It’s called an access trade-off,” Vona explains. “We need to get rid of the excess without getting rid of the access. The project looks at how to make the transition to using less antimicrobials, but in a way that’s fair for everyone and still meets people’s needs.”

Vona and her team are analyzing the narrative surrounding AMR and human-microbe interactions using a wide range of source materials — from research papers to sci-fi novels — to identify recurring patterns in the language. Through a process called rhetorical analysis, they examine how these texts persuade readers and communicate ideas effectively. This involves considering the intended audience, the author’s objectives, and the method of delivery.

Based on their findings, they then craft articles to unpack the history of AMR, explain the strategies at play, and share insights into how language shapes understanding. The goal is to change the way the public talks about AMR.

“We need to focus more on our history and how knowledge has changed over time,” Vona says. “If we can better understand the problem then we can improve how we’re going to solve it.”