Research Project Cultivates Interest in Medical Career

Muhammed Hasan Mumen (B.I.S. ’22), now a medical school student, is on his way to becoming a physician who aims to connect with patients and provide excellent care.

ATLANTA — Muhammed Hasan Mumen (B.I.S. ’22) wants to become a doctor who communicates well with his patients and provides meaningful, high-quality care.

Through his undergraduate coursework and research lab experience in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences, he’s on the path to becoming the first physician in his immediate family.

The native of Peachtree Corners, Ga., graduated from the Biomedical Science and Enterprise bachelor’s program in December 2022. In fall 2024, he entered medical school at the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership in Athens, Ga.

“To me, one of the core values in being a physician is the opportunity to communicate well with others,” Mumen said. “Whatever knowledge, experience and skills I have gained ultimately rely on my ability to articulate myself proficiently, whether it be to a patient or to others in the care team. This human side of medicine interests me.”

The Biomedical Science and Enterprise bachelor’s program prepared him for a career in medicine.

“The program primed me to be a leader,” Mumen said. “Much of the coursework, including courses such as Scientific Communication and Experimental Approaches to Biomedical Research, provided me with specific knowledge that I continue to access to this day. Additionally, the business, ethics and law courses offered by the program have helped me to be more well-rounded as a learner.”

During his undergraduate studies, Mumen participated in independent research as part of the Signature Experience component of the curriculum. Research can be important to a medical school application because it demonstrates experience with medical and lab-based research projects, he explained.

“The process of finding a research mentor, developing a plan for a project and learning how to work through the expected components by the deadline were important skills that I have taken with me after graduation,” Mumen said. “Additionally, learning the process and rationale for medical research was an important discovery that further cultivated my interest in many medical topics.”

His interests guided him to Dr. Didier Merlin’s lab, which is focused on using nanomedicine to treat intestinal inflammation and developing new diagnostic and therapeutic tools for inflammatory bowel disease. Through mentorship and support, Mumen contributed meaningfully to research projects and learned important lab skills, such as DNA vector amplification, DNA purification and polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

“This early exposure is something that will help me be successful throughout medical school, residency and beyond,” Mumen said.

Mumen chose to attend Georgia State because of the university’s wide variety of programs and numerous research opportunities across many disciplines. He was drawn to the Biomedical Science and Enterprise bachelor’s program for several reasons.

“I really appreciated that it was a multidisciplinary program where I could gain some experience with business, entrepreneurship, technology and law,” Mumen said. “This has served me well as it has allowed me to have a more well-rounded perspective as I move through different medical settings.”

The program’s size and structure gave him the opportunity to work closely with faculty and instructors at the Institute for Biomedical Sciences, whom he credits with helping him to identify his career aspirations and improve his academic performance, as well as engage with the coursework.

“I appreciated being a part of a newer program. It was ultimately this organic feel and low student-to-faculty ratio of the Biomedical Science and Enterprise program that led me to my current M.D. program,” Mumen said.

The pre-med track enabled Mumen to fulfill the prerequisites for medical school, develop a plan for taking the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and add electives that fostered his interests in the field.

Mumen took a gap year after graduation to broaden his experience in patient care and medical research. Medical school has been challenging so far, especially having to adapt to the high expectations of learning and interacting with others in new environments, he said.

He finds inspiration in the idea that he’s learning from others now so that he can pay it forward in the future. Through his studies, he’s developing the ability to critically analyze interactions, engage in intercultural communication and have the competence to make connections with others through unfamiliar situations, which will help him become a better doctor.

“In my career, I wish to have the skill set to help others meaningfully through the avenue of patient care,” Mumen said.