Written By: Tiffany Whitfield and Brianna Goodall 

Sandra Abdellah’s journey at ͹Ƶ began with a spark ignited during her undergraduate years at Virginia Wesleyan University (VWU). That spark is now a passion for knowledge as a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at ͹Ƶ, where she researches novel cancer therapies and global public health solutions. Sandra’s ultimate goal is to earn both an M.D. and a Ph.D., blending patient care with clinical research. Here at ͹Ƶ, she is settling into her place of belonging while making impacts through research and community engagement with chemistry. 

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Sandra is a proud first-generation American. Her parents are originally from Egypt, and for Sandra to go to college in America is a dream come true for them. After graduating from Howard High School in Maryland, she received a scholarship to VWU and because of the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020, her freshman year was remote learning. But in 2021, she moved to Hampton Roads. “I wanted to make a financial decision to go to a school that funded my tuition,” said Sandra. Also, I was excited to go somewhere new and explore a different region of the East Coast.”   

As an undergraduate researcher at VWU, Sandra made deep connections in chemistry with her mentors, Dr. Maury Howard and Dr. Kevin Kittredge, as they showed her how this discipline could be a pathway to solving real-world problems. “We were NSF-funded (National Science Foundation) to do some analytical chemistry research, and because of how successful that research was, word spread around, and I was able to meet the fabulous community here at ͹Ƶ,” said Sandra. “I really commend my mentors for preparing me for my graduate studies.” 

Sandra earned her B.S. degree in chemistry in 2024 from VWU before she transitioned to ͹Ƶ in the Fall of 2024. Between her research efforts and connections, she discovered she belonged at ͹Ƶ’s graduate program in the College of Sciences.

Sandra’s advisor and mentor at ͹Ƶ is Professor of Chemistry Alvin Holder, Ph.D., FRSC, CChem. In the Holder Lab, Sandra carries out research with fellow doctoral student Sakariyau Waheed and undergraduate researchers Kaylin Thomas, Sidy Diawara, Destany Walston, and Johanna Grootendorst. 

In collaboration with Dr. Stephen Beebe and Teresa Hooker from the Frank Reidy Research center for Bioelectrics at ͹Ƶ, the team performs innovative investigations on cancer therapies that can selectively target triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells. Norfolk, Virginia, has one of the highest rates of TNBC, with a disproportionate impact on females of African descent.  “We work on characterizing and synthesizing bioinorganic molecules, which means we make drugs that have metals inside of them, and those metals are actually particularly advantageous for anti-cancer therapy,” said Sandra. Her research aims to progress the development of minimally invasive cancer treatments in the future. With the local threat of TNBC looming in the backyard of ͹Ƶ, Sandra feels a mission as a researcher in the field to investigate this disease directly impacting our neighborhood.

As part of the Holder Lab, Sandra also collaborates with international research teams to combat global public health problems. Her collaborative research also extends to testing water quality in Barbados. “Public health has to be addressed from infrastructure, to policy, to reinforcement and assurance of those policies,” said Sandra. The aging of old pipes made of iron and “that corrosion (which) can cause a lot of types of damage to humans” is part of the team’s research. “People can get sick and fall ill, and it changes the dynamic of the country,” said Sandra. “Public health needs to be addressed from infrastructure to education, and we’re committed to bringing science into service.” 

Sandra’s primary ambition is to earn both an M.D. and a Ph.D., blending patient care with groundbreaking research. “As I started taking classes here, I realized during one of my first graduate classes, with all of those vitamins that we take in that doctors prescribe and all of the vitals that they check, those are all chemicals, and I really started getting my passion back,” said Sandra. “I want to be a physician because I want to have that hands-on impact, that true connection between person to person.” She is not willing to give up research during or after medical school. “Research never stops, and it doesn’t end when you become a physician,” Sandra said. “It evolves, just like we do.”

 Chemistry faculty have been encouraging her to get a Ph.D. in a way that propels her towards my medical degree. “You can go anywhere after you get your Ph.D. from here – whether it’s into industry, you can go to academia, or you can go to medical school, which is what I want to do,” said Sandra. She is fully aware of the commitment and dedication to earning two rigorous degrees, but she feels very supported by the faculty.

“I’m very proud to be doing research at ͹Ƶ, and I’m grateful to the faculty,” said Sandra. “Every professor here makes you feel like you belong and that you are capable enough to do what you want to do here.”  

Her work is not only about chemicals, but it’s about mission. Sandra earned a fellowship with the Trio Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Scholars Program at ͹Ƶ. “I’m working with 25 scholars at ͹Ƶ who are in a vast range of programs from finance to education to recreation, and I get to work with scholarly students who want to pursue research,” said Sandra. “I appreciate ͹Ƶ for supporting these students and seeing that there is a need for scaffolded lesson plans and scaffolded structure to get these students to graduate school.” 

For Sandra, this mission of empowerment is rooted in her own classroom experience. Now, as a high school chemistry teacher for Trio Upward Bound on the weekends, she is addressing that challenge at its source. By working to bridge this gap for public school students before they even get to college, she can mitigate those knowledge gaps and cultivate confident, critical thinkers ready for university life.

 Sandra credits ͹Ƶ with metamorphosis - not just as a scientist, but as a human being. The impacts of being a graduate student at ͹Ƶ have completely transformed her life. “Every single day I’m learning to be a leader, a listener, and I’m learning how to better articulate myself and how to make connections,” said Sandra. “All of that comes with being in such a vibrant community with such driven individuals.”