People of Science with Jon Choy

Synopsis: In this episode, we hear from Marya, an PhD student at the NIH, participating in the Oxford-Cambridge (OxCam) Program. Marya discusses her journey into research, detailing how she went from being premed in undergrad to a PhD student. She outlines her experiences within the OxCam PhD Program, explaining what the program entails as well as the different tracks available for PhD and MD-PhD students in the program. Specifically, she shares how she utilizes NIH’s undiagnosed diseases program to develop more personalized treatments for patients with rare diseases. Marya also discusses her personal and career goals for the future, including conducting gene therapy trials for degenerative diseases and being an MD-PhD in the field of translational bioscience. Marya emphasizes the importance of mental health strategies, finding a work-life balance, who can support and guide people in their individual career goals..

Connect with Marya on LinkedIn

Takeaways:

• Keep an open-mind: Marya started her undergraduate career with a focus on medical school and got into research because  she felt like it checked a box—but ended up falling in love with it.
• Lean on your interests: After undergrad, Marya did a post-baccalaureate fellowship (NIH IRTA) at the NIH, which inspired her to apply to the NIH Oxford Cambridge Scholars program. Until the tail end of undergrad, Marya was primarily medical school focused, but after the opportunity to teach, her interests shifted. She was inspired to pursue a PhD because she wanted to make a meaningful impact in the field of biomedical research by delving deeper into the scientific questions she was exploring during her post-baccalaureate. 
• NIH Oxford-Cambridge (OxCam): The NIH Oxford Cambridge Scholars program is an accelerated, independent project-led dissertation program that allows students to study at both the NIH and the University of Oxford or University of Cambridge. The OxCam program is unique because students have a lot of freedom to develop their own research projects and bring together two mentors from different institutions to work on the projects. Marya describes the three tracks within the OxCam program for MD/PhD students: applying to both the program and medical school at the same time (Track 1), applying to the program after two years of medical school (Track 2), and applying to medical school after three years of PhD studies in an NIH-GPP program (Track 3). Marya is in Track 3.
• NIH research: Marya discusses her current research project, which involves studying the genetic basis of rare immune disorders in the undiagnosed diseases program at the NIH while collaborating with a mentor at Oxford.
• Work-life balance: Marya talks about maintaining a good work-life balance and her strategies for decompressing, which include seeing a clinical psychologist, running, and spending time with friends and family.
• Mentorship: Marya also touches on her experience as a first generation college student and the challenges that come with it. She mentions Project SHORT, which helps individuals from diverse backgrounds apply to PhD and MD/PhD programs. Here is the link for their website; check it out!

Reflection:

Marya emphasizes the importance of finding mentors and building relationships in the research field. As a first generation college student, Marya knows the challenges of navigating the PhD process without any prior knowledge or connections in the field. However, she credits her success to the mentors who have guided her and encouraged her to pursue her passions. This serves as a reminder to all of us to seek out mentors and build supportive networks, as it can significantly impact our career paths.

Marya’s personal and professional goals for the future, including running gene therapy trials and getting married, inspire me to think about my own long-term aspirations and how I can work towards achieving them. Overall, Marya’s story is a testament to the value of hard work and persistence, as well as the importance of seeking out and embracing opportunities for growth and development.