As a young girl, Kate Rahbari wasn’t sure she was smart enough to pursue an education in the sciences, let alone in medicine. “I was my own obstacle,” she says, explaining the “imposter syndrome” that gave rise to years of self-doubt. But today Rahbari has proven to herself — and the world — that she can reach ambitious goals. She now is well on her way to completing a joint MD/PhD program at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC).
Growing up in West Chester, Penn., a small suburb outside Philadelphia, Rahbari was close to her immediate family — her mother, father, and older brother — and often visited her extended family in North Carolina. With her mother’s Indigenous roots and her father’s Iranian heritage, Rahbari stood out from her mostly white peers. “There weren’t a lot of Indigenous individuals in Philly,” says Rahbari. “People made ignorant comments sometimes so I knew I wasn’t white, but it wasn’t something I really understood until undergrad.”
At Temple University, Rahbari started with gen ed classes. Although she’d always had an interest in science, she initially lacked the confidence to declare a STEM major. “After the first two years, I decided on biology,” she says. “But I still didn’t think I was smart enough.”
Rahbari was lucky to find professors who encouraged her to pursue research, and she turned to MARC (Maximizing Access to Research Careers) for help. Through MARC, a National Institutes of Health (NIH)–funded undergraduate student training program for institutions with research-intensive environments, Rahbari was matched with a lab. “It was serendipity,” says Rahbari. “My first lab experience was in immunology. It was really difficult, but I liked it.”
The more time Rahbari spent in the lab, the more she liked research. “That first research experience sparked my interest in the possibility of doing a joint program for research and medicine,” she says. Rahbari set out to make her new goal a reality, taking multiple science and lab courses at Temple. After graduating, she pursued a post-baccalaureate at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (part of the NIH). During her post-bacc Rahbari’s passion for immunology blossomed. “That’s where I thought, oh, this is really cool,” she says. “Immunology is like a whole other language — it’s connected to so many different things.”
After being accepted to the University of Illinois at Chicago’s joint MD/PhD program, Rahbari continued to pursue her passion for immunology. For her PhD dissertation, Rahbari chose to look at immune cell responses to bacteria, and how bacteria can manipulate those responses. In simpler terms, “I’m examining a communication system in Group A streptococcus (the culprit of strep throat), and how it actually helps the bacteria to basically tell our immune system to not attack,” she explains.
Even with a demanding course load, Rahbari found ways to get involved in her community. She has participated in an after-school science program for middle school students; mentored a high school student on her science fair project; and helped to start the Association of Native American Medical Students at UIC, which has been especially meaningful to Rahbari. “Indigenous students now have more recognition and a voice in the College of Medicine,” she says. “It makes me realize I’m not alone.”
Rahbari is now moving into the last two years of medical school, which will be clinical rotations. She is hopeful that these next two years will help shape her ultimate career path. “I’m open and ready to see all the different specialties,” she says. While she doesn’t have a set role in mind, Rahbari can see herself running a lab and practicing medicine, and she hopes to eventually do both.
Rahbari’s road has been difficult and filled with self-doubt. But with the support of her family, friends, and mentors, she is now confident in her ability to succeed. She hopes her story will inspire others to pursue their dreams, even when they doubt themselves. “Don’t give up because one person said you weren’t good enough,” she says. Instead, she suggests leaning on people who support you and your goals. In the end, adds Rahbari, “you realize you can do it, and you can accomplish so much.”
