Nada Fadul’s love for science and medicine began early. As a child, the aspiring physician-scientist had observed her father, a doctor, treat patients at his primary care office. Later, as an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland, Fadul had the opportunity to work in a lab developing nanotherapies for ovarian cancer. Through these experiences and a strong cadre of mentors, she “felt really inspired to pursue both research and medicine,” she says.
To gain more lab experience before applying to joint MD-PhD programs, Fadul had decided to apply to the National Institutes of Health’s postbaccalaureate program, which offers full-time research positions to recent college graduates considering careers in medicine