Rutgers Doctoral Student Recognized with Fellowship, NIH Internship

NEWARK, NJ – In her native Iran, Sheida Hayati was an exceptional student who aced math and physics in school and seemed headed for a career as an engineer or a doctor. But Ms. Hayati discovered that research was her passion.

Her dedication to research has resulted in two prestigious awards. The Rutgers School of Health Professions doctoral student was chosen for a pre-doctoral cancer research Fellowship by the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR).

That distinction follows Ms. Hayati’s selection last month by the National Institutes of Health for a summer research internship in Washington, D.C. beginning in May.

Ms. Hayati is working toward her Ph.D. in Biomedical Informatics, an interdisciplinary field that combines computer science and medicine to find treatment and cures by computationally analyzing available scientific and clinical data.

She works in the laboratory of Antonina Mitrofanova, a professor of Biomedical and Health Informatics at the Rutgers School of Health Professions in Newark.

“Our school’s faculty and students are among finest in the nation, and we take great pride in their accomplishments. To be selected for these very competitive awards is an honor for Sheida, as well as for our school,” Dean Gwendolyn Mahon said. “The important research conducted by Sheida and others in these programs is what will make the difference in the battle against cancer.”

Ms. Hayati studied clinical laboratory sciences and graduated with the highest honors from Iran University of Medical Sciences, known for training prominent graduates in medicine and allied sciences. After graduating, Ms. Hayati managed a hematology laboratory for five years before she met her husband, an American citizen, who was visiting relatives in Iran.

When Ms. Hayati decided to move to the United States and get married, she entered the country on a K-1 Fiancée Visa. She had never been to the United States.

“You come here and learn about the multi-cultural aspects of this society, and the fact that there is no limit in advancing your goal and turning your dreams into reality, ” Ms. Hayati said.

After graduating from a master’s degree program in biotechnology at William Paterson University, Ms. Hayati decided to fulfill her dream of finding treatments and cures for diseases and enrolled in the doctorate program at Rutgers School of Health Professions.

Her goal as a scientist is to collaborate with other researchers to find a cure for cancer, in large part, because of the impact it has on young children whose parents get cancer and the data that is available to study.

During her NIH internship, she will analyze data from a clinical trial and try to unlock the riddle of what might predispose one leukemia patient to benefit from immunotherapy, while another patient doesn’t. It’s a big question for every doctor in cancer research, she said.

Her two-year, paid fellowship with NJCCR will focus on a study of alternative splicing as a biomarker of disease progression and therapeutic response in Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Administered through the New Jersey Department of Health, the NJCCR provides fellowship awards to attract and retain talented young scientists who wish to pursue a career in cancer research in New Jersey. NJCCR fellows go on to pursue successful research careers in academia and the private sector, according to the organization.

A division of Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences, the School of Health Professions provides education for both entry-level health professionals and practicing health providers seeking specialty and advanced degrees. With more than 50 programs ranging from post-high school to doctoral at locations in Newark, Piscataway, Scotch Plains and Stratford, the school serves approximately 1,700 students.

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