Interest in Wesleyan’s science programs continues to rise as the final stage of construction begins for the new Munroe Science Center, a tangible reminder about building a successful future investment. One recent graduate, Ihunanya Mbata ’06, claims the essence of our successful science programs lies in the focus on the human element.

This summa cum laude graduate earned her bachelor’s degree with a double major in biology and chemistry (4.0 GPA). Four years ago, she accepted an academic scholarship and came to Wesleyan, just 16 years old, after graduating from Macon’s Westside High School. Larger institutions recruited Ihunanya, but she recalled “my mom felt that I was too young to go away—a decision I did not appreciate at the time.” Now, she credits her parents for most of her achievements, acknowledging their constant support and guidance.

This fall she heads to Bethesda, Maryland, to accept a one-year research assistantship at the National Institutes of Health. “I will be working in molecular immunology researching autoimmune diseases at the NIH’s national institute of allergy and infectious disease,” she said.

As an honors program graduate, she completed a thesis addressing the effects of all-trans retinoic acid on proliferation in pregnant human myometrial cells, building upon the research of former graduates. She has already presented her research nationally, and in March won the best oral undergraduate presentation in biomedical sciences at the Georgia Academy of Science meeting in Atlanta.

A 2004 summer program in New York hosted by Cornell, Rockefeller, and Sloan-Kettering introduced Ihunanya to research, although she was influenced by her father's research and work as a biology professor on the faculty of Fort Valley State University.

In addition to research this year, Ihunanya will study for the MCAT to gain entrance into medical school. Her future plans include four years of medical school, plus two additional years of research. Then, she said, “I would possibly pursue a humanitarian experience like the Doctors Without Borders program, perhaps someday returning to Nigeria.”

UPDATE AUGUST 2011:
From the website of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Ihunanya had set her goals―complete her bachelor’s at Wesleyan College (Macon, Georgia), do a postbac traineeship while applying to medical schools, get her M.D./Ph.D. from Duke University School of Medicine, then become a surgeon. What Ihunanya didn’t know before coming to NIAID was that these goals would change ever so slightly, yet monumentally.

After attending INRO, Ihunanya signed on to do a postbac traineeship under the mentorship of Philip M. Murphy, M.D., in the Laboratory of Molecular Immunology. Spending the year at NIAID, says Ihunanya, gave her a new perspective and helped to direct her career. “NIAID increased my interest in global health. It was helpful to see other researchers, such as Dr. Thomas C. Quinn (NIAID’s International HIV and STD Unit),” who are working in global health. Though her words are matter of fact, you can’t help but hear the passion in her voice as Ihunanya talks about this new career path.

No longer considering a Ph.D. to complement her M.D., Ihunanya is thinking about getting a master of science in global health, which will give her the background she needs for her new career path. She soon begins her 3rd year at the Duke University School of Medicine, where she will be on her way to Botswana to do her clinical work as a result of being selected as a Fogarty International Clinical Research Scholar. The Botswana-Harvard School of Public Health AIDS Initiative Partnership is a collaborative research and training initiative between the Ministry of Health of the republic of Botswana and the Harvard AIDS Institute. “I’m thrilled to begin work in global health,” says Ihunanya.