My name is Nafisa Elghazali. I was born and raised in California, where  I spent half my life in northern California where I began my studies majoring in Biological Sciences as a transfer student, and the other half in southern California after transferring to the University of California-Irvine (UCI). At UCI I worked with the Rose laboratory reseraching th biology of diet and aging as a CAMP Summer Research Scholar. After graduating UCI with my Bachelors of Science in Public Health Sciences '16 (Biological Sciences emphasis), I spent a year in the ophthalmic medical devices industry working in clinical applications of neurobiological medical sensors for ophthalmic diseases.

During my time as a PREP scholar, I will be working in the UNM Orthopaedic Biomechanics & Biomaterials Laboratory (OBBL) with Dr. christina Salas studying regenerative medicine applications using a novel bioprinting platform to create composite scaffolds for bone-ligament tissue engineering.

After PREP, I plan to obtain my Ph.D. in an interdisciplinary Biomedical Sciences or Bioengineering program that will allow me to continue developing my interests in Regenerative Medicine, Tissue engineering, and Cell/Molecular Biology. Outside of the lab, I enjoy hiking, drawing, horticulture, going to concerts and movies, and exploring all my surroundings and what they have to offer.