Ferheen Abbasi

Alma Mater: University of California, Berkeley, B.S. in Molecular & Cell Biology and Japanese Language, Osaka University, M.S. in Medical Sciences

Matriculation Year: 2021

About Ferheen: Ferheen (she/her) is from Santa Clara, California, and graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in Molecular and Cell Biology (MCB) and Japanese Language in 2014. Within her MCB major, she concentrated in Physiology under Cell and Developmental Biology. After receiving the Japanese Government (MEXT) Scholarship in 2015, she went to Osaka University, Japan for her Master's in Medical Science and conducted research in the Department of Experimental Genome Research in the Ikawa Lab. For the past ten years, her research and clinical interests have been focused on reproductive and menstrual health. She has a broad background in reproductive biology, with specific training and expertise in CRISPR-Cas9 system mutant mouse models of infertility. In her time as a UC Davis medical student, she has held many leadership positions including Class Co-President, Board Member of 2 student run clinics including being the Women’s Clinic Officer, Board Member of Medical Students For Choice, Physician Scientist Student Advisory Council Member, and Admissions Committee Member. 

On a personal note, she is an enthusiastic podcast and audiobook listener, plant propagator (with over 50 plant cuttings in her DIY Ikea greenhouse!), cat mom, and hiker.

Research Advisor: Linda Giudice (UCSF) and Fred Meyers

Research Interests: My research interests consist of understanding the menstrual cycle to look at different menstrual diseases such as menorrhagia and endometriosis. I plan to create organoid and animal models for these conditions, as well as look at the clinical benefits of using hormonal implants to treat them. My ultimate goal is to discover a new way to control the menstrual cycle non-hormonally.

Why ARC: I chose ARC-MD because my career goals are rooted in academic medicine. This program is the perfect for a budding physician-scientist, with its dedicated focus in research and mentorship.

Publications: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6823-4298