Elizabeth Smith Khoury

Nostalgia is a powerful emotion, one that reaches beyond mere memory, weaving together individual and collective experiences into a tapestry of identity and belonging. For many, it offers comfort, a sense of continuity, and a connection to roots that might feel distant or fragmented. But nostalgia does more than just recall the past—it often reshapes it, creating what scholars call a “mythic past”: an idealized, sometimes romanticized vision of history that serves as a cultural anchor.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT Under a license agreement between Ashvattha Therapeutics, LLC and the Johns Hopkins University, Dr. Sujatha Kannan, Dr. Rangaramanujam M Kannan and the University are entitled to royalty distributions related to technology described in the study discussed in this publication. Dr SK and Dr RMK are founders of and hold equity in Ashvattha Therapeutics, LLC.