Ph.D. program: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Background: Born and raised in Iran and recently from Canada, Dr. Kalantari considers both countries to be home. Her academic journey has been influenced by both her clinical background and her interest in Translational Science.  She loves singing and has recently begun formal training.

Why did you chose Mayo Clinic for your fellowship? I chose Mayo Clinic for my Clinical Chemistry fellowship because of its outstanding reputation for both patient care and laboratory medicine. The program offers exceptional training with access to high test volumes, complex cases, and advanced technologies, all within a collaborative and multidisciplinary environment. I also appreciated the opportunity to work closely with experienced faculty and to be part of a program that supports its fellows in preparing for both board certification and leadership roles.

Ph.D. program: Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 

Background: Through an incredible partnership between my graduate program and employer, I was able to work at Quest Diagnostics full time as a clinical R&D scientist during graduate school, where I developed cardiovascular and metabolic biomarker assays while supporting the production lab. I have also served in the Ohio Army National Guard as a medical operations officer since 2015.

Why did you chose Mayo Clinic for your fellowship? I chose Mayo Clinic because it is the epitome of quality, innovation, and excellence in laboratory medicine. From the vast number of subspecialties, cases, and industry experts, Mayo Clinic provides an incredible opportunity for me to develop in a supportive and highly diverse environment. Similarly to how the staff at Mayo Clinic place the patient first, they are truly committed to our success as trainees.

Ph.D. program:  University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL

What drew you to our program? I was interested in Mayo Clinic for training as they are the only program with an NMR instrument for biological testing, which aligns with some of my doctoral work! I was/am very excited to also get exposure to a broad range of assays and tests with Mayo being a reference lab. 

What are you most excited about experiencing during your fellowship? I am most excited about beginning my career in clinical chemistry and being able to contribute to the betterment of patient care! I am also very excited to learn how the techniques and skills from graduate school can be used to make an impact in the clinical realm. 

Ph.D. program:  Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Sciences & National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China

What drew you to our program? The Clinical Chemistry Fellowship Program at Mayo Clinic provides unparalleled training resources in laboratory medicine with well-structured curriculum and hands-on experience in general and specialized clinical laboratories.

What are you most excited about experiencing during your fellowship? The numerous educational and research opportunities through the program to learn and apply clinical chemistry knowledge to patient care. As a trainee, I believe I will benefit from the top-tier medical facility as well as mentorship from faculty with diverse expertise.