Thread by @RazanSheta

@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC Thank you @IWS_Network for allowing me to share my story here. My name is Razan Sheta, of Palestinian/Jordanian origins. Born and raised in Riyadh Saudi Arabia. I have traveled the world, and I am really looking forward to sharing my story. #IWSvoices @IWS_Network.

@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC I left home at a young age, and was super excited to start a new adventure in Canada @UBC . At that time, I thought this is going to be my biggest adventure. Little did I know it was just the beginning. #IWSvoices @IWS_Network.

@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC My first experience in a lab was with the late world-renowned researcher, Dr. El-Husseini's. It was an overwhelming experience. But I owe everything to the back-then PhD student who took me under her wings
@marie France Lisé. #IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie After a fruitful 3 years working with Dr. @marieflise. I got to join Dr.@Hlashuel team for a summer internship @Brainmind_EPFL. Where I got to learn about the infamous #alphasynuclein. At that point I knew I would like to become an aspiring neuroscientist #IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL But wait, that's not all I got to learn about @Hlashuel. That is where I also met my husband @AbidOueslati. We fell in the cliche of meeting partners at the workplace. I would say it was a productive summer all in all😊. #IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL @AbidOueslati After an amazing summer in Switzerland @EPFL, I went back to Vancouver and finished my undergrad @UBC. Being an International student, a masters degree was too expensive to consider. But I was very lucky to start a job working with Dr. @CathieGarnis. #IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL @AbidOueslati @EPFL Working with Dr. @CathieGarnis introduced me to life saving cancer research. It was a learning experience, that motivated me to understand tumor biology. I was impressed by how vast cancer research is. That is when I decided to start an MSc in Oncology. #IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL @AbidOueslati @EPFL I told you I traveled: Canada, Switzerland, then Canada, and back to Switzerland again. Moved to #Lausanne, got married and started MSc, and before I knew it I was a mother to an amazing daughter. I had to juggle life, school and being a mother (not easy).#IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL @AbidOueslati @EPFL 2 years later I got my MSc in Pharmacology @unil. Then guess what, my husband got a job at ULaval. So another move back to beloved Canada. It was the most exciting and stressful time of our lives. We packed-moved just like that. Now a Phd journey begins. #IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL @AbidOueslati @EPFL I had lived in Canada for 8 years, I thought ya should be easy. But no, nothing was easy about this move. Life in Vancouver was nothing like life in Quebec. It is COLD. & French! oui, oui, I thought I had that down too. #IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL @AbidOueslati @EPFL I started a PhD with Dr. Bachvarov on #ovariancancer Cancer (OC). OC hits close to home, my mom had passed away from Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma that metastasized into breast and ovarian cancers. I learnt a lot and I am very proud with what I had accomplished #IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL @AbidOueslati @EPFL Soon after I started my postdoc with @AbidOueslati. Yes.I am working with my husband,not only is he a supportive partner but also a brilliant scientist. Everyday is a new challenge, working in an exciting environment with a young investigator is the best. #IWSvoices
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@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL @AbidOueslati @EPFL In our work (under review) we report on the development of an optogenetic method to generate, visualize and dissect the role of #asyn aggregation in PD, with remarkable versatility & spatiotemporal resolution, in vitro and in vivo #IWSvoices
@IWS_Network papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cf…

@IWS_Network @universitelaval @unil @UBC @marie @marieflise @Hlashuel @Brainmind_EPFL @AbidOueslati @EPFL Wish us luck we hope 2021 is going to be our year. I would like to conclude my story here by thanking #IWSvoices and @IWS_Network for giving me the chance to speak about my story. Always proud to be part of a vibrant community of brilliant women in science.