Mehdi Baqri - Biomedical Engineering Student and Activist (August 1, 2020)

Mehdi is an undergraduate student and Global Health Scholar at Yale University, studying biomedical engineering. His research interests concern nanoparticle drug delivery and gene therapy for brain cancer. He is also interested in putting war on the public health agenda, studying cancer burden and violence in Iraq. On campus, Mehdi works as a Student Organization Consultant for the Dean’s Office to aid community organizers and student leaders. He is also in the leadership of several academic, service, and religious-based campus groups, including the Yale Undergraduate Research Association, Yale Muslim Student Association, Students for Yemen, and Muslim Leadership Lab. Mehdi is devoted to serving the Shi’a community. He is on the executive team for Ma'rifa, a national organization committed to the spiritual and intellectual growth of Shi'i students, and is a youth coordinator for Imamia Medics International. Through his community involvement and faith-based organizing, he hopes to engage with Shi’a youth and mobilize Muslim communities to advocate for global health, justice, and peace. In his spare time, Mehdi enjoys learning Urdu poetry and reading Shi’i liberation literature. Mehdi is from Orlando, Fl!