“I am originally from Cairo, Egypt. My family and I moved to the US when I was four because my dad was getting his PhD from UC Irvine, in civil engineering. When it came time to choose which college I wanted to go to, I chose UCI, as I felt a strong attachment to the campus, having spent most of my childhood on the UCI grounds. I felt like it was like a second home to me,” shared Reem Nasr.
Inspired by her connection to UCI and an early interest in healthcare careers, Nasr chose to enroll in the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences’ BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences program.
“Since I was a little girl, I had a fascination with how medications work and how they make us feel better,” she said. “I liked the structure of the BS in Pharmaceutical Sciences program — it allowed us to dive into what pharmaceuticals are, how they are made, and their different applications. I was also intrigued by the diverse faculty and their wide range of research interests.”
She joined the Chan Lab during her freshman year in Spring 2021. As part of Dr. Alexandre Chan’s research team, Nasr’s work centers on the needs of cancer patients and survivors, including concerns that are specific to adolescent and young adult cancer survivors, allostatic load in adult cancer patients, and integrative oncology modalities.
“I became very passionate about oncology pharmacy after taking Dr. Chan’s ‘Life After Cancer’ seminar during my freshman year,” she said. “This course addressed how cancer patients need consistent care, different types of cancer, and potential advancements in the field of oncology and got me to think about how I could potentially contribute.”
Nasr has had the opportunity to participate in multiple projects within the Chan Lab, most recently presenting “Evaluation of Integrative Oncology Modalities for Symptom Management” at the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC)/Association Francophone des Soins Oncologiques de Support (AFSOS)/International Society of Oral Oncology (ISOO) 2024 Annual Meeting, held in Lille, France from June 27-29. Dr. Chan served as the 2024 Annual Meeting Chair.
In 2023, she contributed to the publication “Unmet Needs, Barriers, and Facilitators for Conducting Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Research in Southern California: A Delphi Survey,” which was published in the Journal of Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.
Additionally, she has worked with graduate students on the posters “Allostatic Load as a Predictor of Pre-Treatment Function and Symptoms in Adult Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy” and “Using PROMIS to Guide Pharmacist-Led Chemotherapy Education at Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center: Patients’ Perspectives,” which were presented at the 2023 MASCC/JASCC/ISOO Annual Meeting in Nara, Japan and 2023 Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center Cancer Center Scientific Retreat in Orange, CA, respectively.
Nasr has also received numerous accolades from the UCI Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). She was recognized as a UROP fellow and travel grant awardee in past years, selected as a Summer Undergraduate Research Program fellow in 2023, and presented at a UROP event in 2024.
She is an active member of the Muslim Student Union, previously serving in roles as the organization’s Dawah Committee Mentor, Secretary, Dawah Committee Coordinator, and College Day Scholarship Head.
Nasr recently graduated in June 2024 and will be continuing her education in the UCI School of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences as a student pharmacist, joining the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) class of 2028 in the fall.
