Entered Combined-Degree Program: Fall 2021 as a second-year DMD student.
Biography
Heba grew up in Ellicott City, Maryland before moving to Florida to attend the University of Florida. Heba graduated from UF with a BS in Microbiology and Cell Science as part of the BS/DMD program. In her time as an undergraduate student, she conducted research in the oral biology lab of Dr. Ann Progulske-Fox, where she studied the membrane vesicles of Porphyromonas gingivalis. This research fostered an interest in the relationship between the oral microbiome and oral squamous cell carcinoma, as well as the use of bioinformatics in future research.
Heba also studied the importance of promoting microbial literacy through collaborative STEM outreach opportunities with local refugee youth populations. She was a teaching assistant and part of the teaching laboratory prep team in the department of Microbiology and Cell Science as well, allowing her an active role in teaching undergraduate students. With a love of teaching and research, she hopes to become a successful clinician-scientist.
Heba serves as a class of 2024 representative of the National Student Research Group (NSRG) of the American Association of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research. In her free time, she enjoys fishing and reading.