Research Awards, Opportunities, M.B.S. Program Assist Student Career Goals

Shuaa Rizvi (AZCOM ’27) graduated from Midwestern University’s M.B.S. program on the Downers Grove Campus and is continuing her education in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.) Program at the Glendale Campus. Shuaa was the recipient of three awards for research during her M.B.S. studies, the Honor B. Fell Award (research achievements of graduate student research), the SIVB Student Travel Award (student achievements in In Vitro Biology), and a first place award for her presentation of “Identification of Stratifin as a Potential Biomarker for Oral Cancer Progression.”

“This research allowed me to explore the relationship between the expression of Stratifin, a tumor suppressor gene, and the progression steps of oral cancer, using quantitative Western Blot analysis. The SIVB 2023 meeting held their annual In Vitro Animal Cell Sciences Section (IVACS) Student and Post-Doctoral Oral Presentation Competition for students attending the meeting, and all competitors were very professional and accomplished. It's an absolute honor to have been selected for first place. I believe that the multiple opportunities I had to present my research, such as Kenneth A. Suarez Research Day at Midwestern University, throughout the duration of my thesis really helped prepare me for this competition,” Shuaa said.

Hilal Arnouk, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Pathology was Shuaa’s faculty research mentor. “I started in Dr. Arnouk's lab in the Department of Pathology as a student taking a research elective in the winter quarter of my first year. During this time, I was shadowing his previous student, Rey De La Torre (AZCOM ’26), and learning some ‘tricks of the trade’ that come along with laboratory research and not necessarily described in protocols and manuals. After this initiation, I continued my research with Dr. Arnouk, as I worked toward my thesis project, which involved establishing a Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis and Proteomics system in the lab. Under the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Arnouk, I felt that I was able to have ownership of the project and felt comfortable working independently in the lab.”

Shuaa added, “The past two years of the M.B.S. program have provided me with the skills and opportunities to work towards my goals. The staff and faculty in the M.B.S. program and the College of Graduate Studies genuinely cared about helping me through the program and being the best applicant for a professional program. The value of being a student at Midwestern University comes with the knowledge and pride that you are not just an individual, but a part of a community dedicated to the understanding and betterment of STEM as a whole.” Shuaa also thanked Dr. Arnouk and her academic advisor Mae Ciancio, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biomedical Sciences for their support and encouragement.

“I am so excited to continue my journey professionally at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine. It feels absolutely surreal that the goal I have worked for is becoming a reality at Midwestern University,” Shuaa said and added her future career goals, “I hope to participate in programs that promote equity and inclusion to healthcare that seem out of reach, practice in women’s health and serve minority communities where a lot of these types of health issues are still taboo and promote access to healthcare, continue working in research, as much as I can during medical school, and hopefully make more scientific discoveries and advancements.”

Midwestern University provides students with a plethora of research opportunities and programs of study in the healthcare field. The M.B.S. program is offered in Downers Grove and Glendale, and the D.O. program is also offered in Downers Grove and Glendale.