“It is very important for me to study the Middle Eastern genome as the genetic makeup of the Levantine population is largely understudied and under-represented in genomic studies. The privilege of being granted this opportunity comes with a responsibility and my goal is to apply the knowledge of fundamental genetics to advance science and personalized healthcare in the MENA region.”
Meet Banah…
Bana is a Palestinian born and raised in Jordan. She graduated from New York University Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) with a major in Biology and a minor in Visual Arts and has always been passionate about integrating both fields to make science accessible and easily communicated to the public.
While at NYUAD, she studied across a global network of countries and enrolled in graduate level courses in Genetics and Public Health, attended conferences and published peer-reviewed scientific research papers.
Bana’s research focuses on understanding genetic variation in complex diseases. She is particularly interested in studying the role that genetic and environmental factors play in triggering disease and modulating health-related outcomes. Her undergraduate thesis investigated the role of epigenetics in regulating human immune response to malaria in Burkina Faso, in West Africa. Bana was also heavily involved in COVID-19 research in the United Arab Emirates.
Bana is pursued a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Genomic Medicine, an integrated clinical and research degree, at the University of Cambridge with a Bseisu-Cambridge Scholarship. She is now studying for her PhD at the University of Oxford, DPhil Genomic Medicine and Statistics.