We’re taking time to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us to learn more about our 2021 early career scientist advocates.

Marah Wahbeh
Policy and Advocacy Subcommittee
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine

Research Interest

Schizophrenia, a condition that prevents a person from always recognizing what is real from what is not (having hallucinations and delusions), is a chronic mental disorder that impacts ~0.5-1% of the global population. Patients suffer from a variety of symptoms that affect their functional and occupational independence. Like many neuropsychiatric disorders, schizophrenia is a complex disease with risk factors involving both genetics and the environment. In the last few decades, advancements in genomic technologies have allowed us to learn about the many genes and variants associated with disease development. The large number of associations between genes/ variants that have been identified, if further studied, would provide us insight into biological pathways that can be used as ways to not only further understand the disease but as a way to help assess the risk of individuals and develop potential drug targets to prevent and better treat the disease. This is important as current treatments for schizophrenia (the administration of antipsychotic drugs) have a variable impact on patient symptoms.

My PhD work is focused on elucidating the functional impact of some of the recently discovered genetic schizophrenia associated variants (both common and rare) by using a combination of transcriptomics, CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing, and induced pluripotent stem cell derived neurons. My goal is to further contribute to the field’s understanding of functional pathways involved in schizophrenia development. This knowledge could help inform future studies for developing more effective and personalized drugs for patients with schizophrenia.

As a PhD-trained scientist, you have many career options. What interests you the most?

Before entering graduate school and during my time as a graduate student, I have been involved in many projects outside of the lab, both science related and not. During my participation in these projects, I learned that I enjoy working in collaborative environments which involve a lot of interpersonal interaction with other people. I also value projects that have a direct impact on helping others, be it peers, mentees or more broadly early career scientists. My goal is to engage in work that can foster my interest and expertise in science and genetics, build on the skills that I gained as a scientist like critical thinking and problem solving, and honor my desire for a career that involves working in teams on projects that are fast-paced and have a direct impact on people. 

As of now, I am most interested in pursuing science policy, as the work environment and values are a close match for what I want out of a career. Policy is informed by science and vice versa. Scientific advancements go from bench to bedside through successful science communication and effective policy making. I want my contribution to science to fall into that communication channel. After my PhD, I hope to get the opportunity to do a fellowship in science policy to help me transition into a career that does not involve doing bench work.

In addition to your research, how do you want to advance the scientific enterprise?

Aside from science, advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion within the genetics community and larger science community is something I feel very passionate about. I believe creating academic spaces that are inclusive, welcoming, and supportive of differences is crucial to the success of trainees, especially early in our careers. Some of the ways in which I have been involved have been mainly by advocating for student diversity and equity in my own institution. Some of the efforts I worked on included establishing a PhD student diversity committee to integrate student groups’ efforts in relation to diversity, helping advocate for centralizing diversity and inclusion resources, and implementing an annual implicit bias training for students and faculty in my department. 

Another way in which I would love to be more involved is science communication within the scientific community, by encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations nationally and internationally, as well as with the public, and with policy makers. This is important to me as many scientific advances are made to improve clinical care from diagnostics to treatment and without successful science communication and policy making, moving the science to society is not possible. 

As a leader within the Genetics Society of America, what do you hope to accomplish?

My goal as a GSA leader and a member of the Policy and Advocacy subcommittee is to contribute to projects that help geneticists create channels for educating, engaging, and equating policymakers and the public with genetic knowledge and its significance. I want to work with teams on efforts that effectively explore and implement policies that ensure ethical, legal, and privacy protection for such engagement. Moreover, I want to help trainees and early career scientists like myself be active participants in shaping policies that have implications for our training and careers. This includes providing resources for trainees that help make engaging in science policy less intimidating, directly advocating for early career scientists through Hill Days and other avenues for getting our voices heard, and helping create a community to connect early career scientists with one another to share and learn from each other. 

Previous leadership experience:

Co-Founder and current chair of The Peer Collective
Co-organizer and host of the Partnering Towards Discovery Series
2018/2019 VP of Diversity and Inclusion for the JHSOM Graduate Student Association
2019 Policy and Programming Chair for the Equity in Genetics student committee

,

Graduate student and postdoctoral leaders from the Early Career Scientist Committees of the GSA.

View all posts by Early Career Scientist Committees »

Read more in

  • Collage of 2021 Rosalind Franklin Award recipients

    Where are they now? Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award recipients share updates on their research

    Rosalind Franklin Young Investigator Award applications are open–make sure you submit your application or nomination of a colleague by September 30, 2024.

  • University of Minnesota researchers map genome of the last living wild horse species

    The study, published in G3: Genes|Genomes|Genetics, is part of larger conservation efforts to save Przewalski’s horse.

  • Congratulations to the Spring 2024 DeLill Nasser Awardees!

    GSA is pleased to announce the recipients of the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics for Spring 2024! Given twice a year to graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, DeLill Nasser Awards support attendance at meetings and laboratory courses. The award is named in honor of DeLill Nasser, a long-time GSA supporter and National Science Foundation…

  • Carolyn Damilola headshot

    Carolyn Damilola: an NFS Rising Scientist on a lifelong quest to learn more

    Carolyn Damilola is an NFS Rising Scientist from Nigeria doing respiratory system research and paving the way for scientists from underrepresented communities through mentorship.

  • Text over a blue background image: Apply for up to $2,000 for your project from the Starter Culture Microgrant Program.

    What does a good microgrant proposal look like?

    Members of the Microgrant Review Committee share their tips for a successful proposal.

  • A blurred image of a human face is shown against a dark background.

    The first piece of the facial recognition puzzle

    New research in GENETICS gives a first peek at the molecular pathway involved in recognizing faces.

  • New Senior Editor Amy MacQueen joins GENETICS

    A new senior editor is joining GENETICS in the Genome Integrity and Transmission section. We’re excited to welcome Amy MacQueen to the editorial team.

  • Close up of an adult zebrafish with blue and white stripes in an aquarium with red lighting.

    Block party on the zebrafish sex chromosome

    Research in G3 identifies a gene regulatory block of the zebrafish genome responsible for overseeing the maternal-to-zygotic-transition.

  • Lemna Minor, the common duckweed

    Unraveling the mysteries of duckweed: epigenetic insights from Spirodela polyrhiza

    Research published in G3 offers insight into the impact of DNA methylation on clonal propagation in asexually reproducing plants.

  • Luciano Marraffini headshot

    A microbiologist’s quest to understand CRISPR in bacterial self-defense

    2024 Genetics Society of America Medal recipient Luciano Marraffini determined how CRISPR-Cas systems destroy genetic targets with precision, paving the way for gene editing technology development.

  • Elaine Ostrander headshot

    Unlocking mysteries of trait and disease heritability in dogs

    2024 Edward Novitski Prize recipient Elaine Ostrander, a pioneer of the domestic dog model, discovered numerous genes affecting dog size, morphology, behavior, and disease susceptibility—many of which have relevance in humans.

  • NSF-funded BIO-LEAPS Grant to Support Culture Change in Genetics

    GSA and collaborators Personal Genetics Education & Dialogue and Reclaiming STEM Institute launch NSF-funded BIO-LEAPS project to support culture change in genetics 

    We are thrilled to announce that the Genetics Society of America (GSA) is collaborating with the Personal Genetics Education & Dialogue (PGED) based in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School, and the Reclaiming STEM Institute (RSI) on a Leading Culture Change Through Professional Societies of Biology (BIO-LEAPS) grant from the U.S. National Science…

  • Daman Saluja: Navigating Science and Policy in India

    In the Paths to Science Policy series, we talk to individuals who have a passion for science policy and are active in advocacy through their various roles and careers. The series aims to inform and guide early career scientists interested in science policy. This series is brought to you by the GSA Early Care­er Scientist…

  • Deborah Andrew headshot

    A fly geneticist’s journey into discovering rules of organ development

    2024 George W. Beadle Award recipient Deborah Andrew discovered new genes and pathways in Drosophila salivary gland organogenesis. Now, her work can help optimize cell secretion in therapeutic applications and fight malaria.

  • Małgorzata Gazda's headshot

    Małgorzata Gazda: How receiving the DeLill Nasser Award helped her land her dream job

    Have you ever experienced an event that changes the course of your life, or in this case, your career? Małgorzata (Gosia) Gazda is Assistant Professor at the University of Montreal and in 2022, she received the DeLill Nasser Award for Professional Development in Genetics, which she used to attend and present at the 2022 Population,…

  • Hongyu Zhao joins GENETICS as new Senior Editor

    A new senior editor is joining GENETICS in the Statistical Genetics and Genomics section. We’re excited to welcome Hongyu Zhao to the editorial team.

  • Julio Molina Pineda at TAGC 2024

    GSA Member Julio Molina Pineda Receives DeLill Nasser Award, Shines at TAGC 2024 

    “At any career stage, the GSA membership is an amazing investment for any genetics professional!” Julio Molina Pineda is a PhD Candidate in Cell and Molecular Biology and a Research Assistant at the University of Arkansas, and a Doctoral Academy Fellow at the Lewis Lab. In 2023, Julio was awarded the DeLill Nasser Award for…

  • Ed Grell at his dissecting microscope using ether to anesthetize his flies.

    In Memoriam: Ellsworth Herman Grell (1932–2023), a pioneer of Drosophila genome engineering and annotation

    Ellsworth (Ed) Grell blessed the Drosophila community through three enduring legacies: as a pioneer of chromosome mechanics, as a primary organizer and synthesizer of genetic knowledge in Drosophila, and as a graceful mentor to those fortunate to have known him personally. Ed grew up in rural Nebraska, completed his undergraduate studies at Iowa State, and…

  • Congratulations to the #Fungal24 Poster Award winners!

    We are pleased to announce the recipients of the GSA Poster Awards for posters presented at the 32nd Fungal Genetics Conference! Undergraduate and graduate student members of GSA were eligible for the awards, and a hard-working team of judges made the determinations. Congratulations to all! Felicia Ebot Ojong, The University of Georgia My research is focused…

  • Poster presentation tips for TAGC 2024

    You’ve been selected to present a poster at The Allied Genetics Conference 2024 in March—you’ve celebrated, made plans to attend, now what? This is an exciting opportunity to showcase your research and engage with fellow members of the genetics community, so you want to make sure you’re prepared. We wanted to offer you some tips…

  • Maximize your TAGC 2024 experience 

    A guide to all that National Harbor & DC have to offer Are you joining us for The Allied Genetics Conference 2024 in March? Make the most of your #TAGC24 experience in National Harbor! We know the science will keep you busy, but you deserve to unwind and have some fun, so we’ve curated a…

  • Early Career Leadership Spotlight: Sarah Petrosky

    We’re taking time to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us to learn more about our early career scientist advocates. Sarah PetroskyMultimedia SubcommitteeUniversity of Pittsburgh Research Interest I am interested in understanding adaptation that has been happening recently in populations by dissecting the ways that genes underlying an adaptation…

  • TAGC 2024 Early Career Award Winners

    GSA is pleased to announce the winners of the early career awards presented at The Allied Genetics Conference 2024. These awards are specific to particular TAGC communities and recognize early career scientists’ outstanding work on their respective research organisms. The awardees will present their talks in keynote sessions at TAGC 2024.  Don’t miss the opportunity…

  • Preeminent geneticists recognized with revamped GSA Awards

    In 2022, GSA’s Board of Directors launched an audit to review the five major awards conferred by the Society. Today, we are thrilled to announce the recipients of the reimagined GSA Awards, including the new Genetics Society of America Early Career Medal. The scientists honored this year are recognized by their peers for their outstanding…

  • Fly Board funds outreach programs to spread the word about Drosophila research

    In 2020, the Fly Board voted to use part of its reserve fund to support efforts to increase trainee participation as well as equity and diversity in the Drosophila community. An awards committee decides how the money will be spent each year, and from 2020–2022, the committee posted a very broad call for applications from…

  • New members of the GSA Board of Directors: 2024–2026

    We are pleased to announce the election of four new leaders to the GSA Board of Directors: 2024 Vice President/2025 President Brenda Andrews Professor, University of Toronto It’s an honor to continue my association with the Society by serving as Vice President of the Board of Directors. I have broad knowledge of the ongoing activities…

  • The Fly Meeting is one-of-a-kind! Dros 2025 organizers share their excitement

    The 66th Annual Drosophila Research Conference promises to be a meeting rich with the latest in Drosophila research as well as opportunities to advance your career and connect with a global community of 1,400+ scientists. The organizers Todd Nystul, Michelle Bland, Leila Rieder, Amanda Crocker, and Justin Crocker are hard at work, planning a conference…

  • Early Career Leadership Spotlight: Olufemi Osonowo

    We’re taking time to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us to learn more about our early career scientist advocates. Olufemi Adekunle OsonowoCareer Development SubcommitteeDalhousie University Research Interest Metabolomics and genomics are two distinct but complimentary approaches that offer valuable insights into the underlying mechanisms of complex traits, such…

  • Early Career Leadership Spotlight: Hector Mendoza

    We’re taking time to get to know the members of the GSA’s Early Career Scientist Committees. Join us to learn more about our early career scientist advocates. Hector MendozaCommunication and Outreach SubcommitteeUniversity of Michigan Research Interest My research goals converge around the evolution of sexual reproduction. During my doctoral program, I investigated mitochondrial inheritance, a mechanism…