From breakthroughs in cancer research to AI tools transforming small businesses and medical diagnostics, Fulbrighters from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region contribute to scientific discovery, technological advancement, and economic growth in the United States and across the world. As international students and researchers, they bring fresh perspectives and expertise that strengthen scientific discovery and innovation.
Gihan from Egypt, and Maryame and Karima from Morocco are three examples of MENA Fulbrighters who are making a meaningful impact in the United States.
Advancing Cancer Research
What if a blood test could tell you your risk of certain cancers or a urine sample could spare a patient from life-altering surgery?
Gihan came to the United States through the Fulbright Foreign Student Program to pursue this work. As a bachelor’s student in Egypt, she sought to develop a tool to predict and solve breast and ovarian cancer.
She is now completing a Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Drexel University and studying young mutations in cell tissue.
Using advanced molecular and cellular research to analyze DNA damage response to predict cancer susceptibility at the Fox Chase Center, a university-affiliated lab, her thesis “Profiling DNA Damage Response in Lymphocytes from BRCA2 Heterozygote Carriers: Implications for Cancer Risk Assessment” offers a promising path towards earlier, more precise cancer risk assessment.
The Fulbright Program also connected Gihan to other high-potential research: collaborating with Dr. Phillip Abbosh to identify a urine marker capable of detecting residual bladder cancer after a patient has undergone chemotherapy. If successful, this marker could help patients avoid life-altering cystectomy procedures, ensuring patient safety and optimizing patient health.
Gihan credits Fulbright with making this progress possible. “There is a strong commitment to innovation, collaboration, multidisciplinary teamwork, and scientific writing” in the United States which promotes the kind of environment necessary to turn emerging research into real solutions for patients.
Helping Small Businesses Harness AI
Small businesses drive innovation, and leveraging the latest technology is essential to their growth.
Fulbrighter Maryame is keeping U.S. small businesses at the forefront of AI adoption by promoting the implementation of new tools to improve daily operations. As a Fulbright student pursuing a Master of Science in Business Analytics at the University of Rochester, she spent the summer turning classroom knowledge into real-world impact through an internship with the university’s Center of Excellence in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (CoE-DSAI). The program placed her with Kids Out and About (KOAA), a Rochester-based media company that helps organizations advertise family-focused events.
At KOAA, Maryame built an AI-powered dashboard that automatically generates real-time reports on advertisement performance – turning tedious, time-consuming work into an instant, data-driven resource. “Data in itself is an asset,” Maryame asserts. By automating client reporting, KOAA can focus on what matters: growing their business. Maryame stresses that human oversight is essential for any AI-driven project to catch AI hallucinations which create false data, but her work shows how thoughtfully deployed AI can drive innovation for a single small business or entire economy.
For Maryame, this project is bigger than one project. CoE-DSAI internships help U.S. small businesses close the technology adoption gap, allowing them to take advantage of new technology and level the playing field for U.S. innovation.
Inspired by the University of Rochester’s Simon Business School’s adoption of AI to enhance higher education and San Francisco’s use of AI to improve their transportation system, her experience in the United States has reinforced her belief in AI’s role in large scale innovation. As Maryame puts it, “AI is not here to replace the human—it’s here to make life more efficient.”
Utilizing AI as a Diagnostic Tool
Fulbright Student, Karima’s PhD Research started with a key question: What if artificial intelligence (AI) could help doctors diagnose patients faster and more accurately? A faster diagnosis can mean earlier treatment and better outcomes for patients across the board.
According to Karima, “[The potential for] AI in healthcare is vast and enormous.” Through her PhD research on AI in biomedical imaging, she is developing an AI-powered diagnostic tool to make the diagnostic process more objective and efficient. By reducing the time to reach a diagnosis, the technology gives doctors more time to focus on what matters most: caring for their patients.
Karima’s Fulbright research is also opening doors for international collaboration by establishing a partnership between her home university, Ibn Zohr University, and Fayetteville State University to share imaging data and train robust AI models.
The piece was written by the Fulbright Communication Team at Amideast and includes testimonies from
- Gihan, a 2024 Fulbright alumna who pursued an MS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Drexel University.
- Maryame, a 2025 Fulbright Student pursuing her MS in Business Analytics at the University of Rochester.
- Karima, a 2025 Fulbright Student pursing non-degree research in Biomedical Imaging at Fayetteville State University.
