Melika’s interest in biology began when her mom gave her a miniature microscope as a birthday gift when she was a child (she still has it!). Over time, her curiosity about DNA and its influence on human traits led her to pursue a career in genetics. Melika still finds joy in microscopy. During her undergraduate studies in Cellular and Molecular Genetics Sciences, she worked in medical diagnostics at Takhte-Tavous medical laboratory. Under the guidance of Dr. Allahbakhshian, a hematologist, and Dr. Farzaneh Jadali, a renowned expert in cancer pathology, she gained valuable insights into diagnosing chromosomal abnormalities. Eager to connect medical diagnostics with cutting-edge research, Melika pursued her M.Sc. in Biology-Genetics, completing her thesis at the Pasteur Institute of Iran under the supervision of Dr. Sadat and Dr. Vahabpour. Her research focused on unraveling the role of miRNA in the Jak/Stat signaling pathway within Jurkat cells. After graduating, Melika was offered an exciting opportunity by Prof. Hossein Keyvani, Vice Chancellor of Research at Iran University of Medical Sciences. She became the supervisor of the molecular genetics department at Firoozgar Hospital, focusing on diagnosing mutations related to leukemia and miscarriages. Following the COVID-19 outbreak, they were among the first volunteer labs for diagnosis and research about this virus. Melika considers this experience during the pandemic a golden achievement in her career, reflecting her commitment to serving others during challenging times. Driven by a thirst for deeper research and academic excellence, Melika started pursuing her Ph.D. at UAB in the GBS program in the Genetics, Genomics, & Bioinformatics theme in 2023 and joined Dr. Comba’s lab in 2024 to pursue her research interest in the Neuropathology Division. In her free time, Melika enjoys spending time with her family and friends, painting, listening to classical music, and playing piano. She also loves traveling to visit different countries to explore their cultures, visiting historical architecture, and exploring art museums.

Reid Hale is a sophomore at UAB double-majoring in Cancer Biology and Spanish. He is originally from Memphis, Tennessee but was raised in Huntsville, Alabama. He graduated high school in 2022 from Jemison High School in Huntsville, AL where he did cross country. He typically did the long distance running such as the 5k runs. He is using the opportunity of working in the lab to help decide if he wants to do research with his degree or use his degree to go to medical school. Dr. Comba’s lab is the first lab that he has worked in. He decided to do research in cancer because it is still such a prevalent disease and majority of types of cancer still are untreatable. He is getting a degree in Spanish because he believes that it is important to know, since the language is becoming widely spoken in the United States. He ultimately decided on the University of Alabama at Birmingham because of the amount of research opportunities offered and the exceptional medical school. In his free time, he enjoys running and hiking.

Simrit Shawla is a senior undergraduate student at UAB. She is majoring in Cancer Biology with a minor in Healthcare Management. She is certified by the Alabama Board of Pharmacy and got her certification as an NCCT Phlebotomist Technician as well. Her plans after receiving her bachelor’s degree are to get a Master in Business Administration in Healthcare Management at UAB and to continue to do research. She started a campaign to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s and the prevalent cause of the disease which is stress. There were many fundraisers and community events to allow people to spread the message to the surrounding communities. The community awareness goal was met, and the campaign is still effective today! Simrit is also fluent in 3 languages: Hindi, Punjabi and English. She is originally from Suwanee, GA, and has one brother. When she goes home to visit her family, she loves to take her dog named Fifa out on walks to the park and sometimes on hikes. In her free time, she enjoys reading and journaling about her day.  She is involved in Birmingham’s Blazin Bhangra which is a hip-hop Indian dance form where they perform in various competitions across the nation. She is currently captain and has been working endless hours alongside her co-captain to create unique choreography to present at many competitions around the United States. She is also involved in other UAB cultural organizations like the South Asian Organization and the Indian cultural association. She truly enjoys getting to learn about her culture and hosts various events for the different festivals that are in her culture.