Navya Murugesan, BS

Navya graduated from Tulane University in Spring of 2024 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a minor in Sociology. At Tulane, Navya’s passions for research and medicine intersected as she spent summers delving into melanoma epigenetics research at MD Anderson Cancer Center's CPRIT-CURE Program and spondyloarthritis clinical trials through the CRISSP Summer Research Program at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She received a Barry Goldwater Scholarship as a sophomore, affirming her interest in becoming a physician-scientist. Outside of the world of pipettes, Navya loved spending time working with kids as an Orthopedic Technician at a pediatric hospital, serving as a Supplemental Instructor for Cellular Neuroscience, and being a Resident Advisor for upperclassmen on campus. Balancing her love for the sciences and humanities, Navya, a former Scripps National Spelling Bee contestant, coaches spellers for the National Bee in her free time.

She is now a Postgraduate Research Associate in Dr. Hinchcliff's Lab and Dr. Hsieh's Lab within the Section of Rheumatology, Allergy & Immunology, immersing herself in clinical rheumatology research focusing on scleroderma and global health equity. Following her research gap year at Yale SOM, she eagerly anticipates to matriculate to medical school in Fall of 2025, continuing to fuel her fervor for science and aiming to integrate research into her medical career to advocate for and enhance patient outcomes.