CORTEX
Clinical Outcomes and Research Training Experience

Maleha “Maliha” Akter

Maliha is a senior at Warren Mott High School and MMSTC. Maliha’s research interests include the correlation between mental health and cultural background in children/teens and the relationship between social media use and anxiety in teens. Maliha plans to earn her BA in Biology and minor in Psychology at WSU. In her free time, Maliha enjoys reading, spending time with her family, going to the gym, and baking.

Ryan Rubago

Ryan is a senior at Lakeview High School and MMSTC. Ryan's research interests include human behavior, human anatomy, and art techniques. He has strong interest in psychology and research. Ryan wants to major in Psychology at U of M. In his free time, he enjoys learning about sci-fi lore, gaming, thrifting, finding new music, and creating art.

Yana Mykhaylyak

Yana is a student at Warren Mott High School with a strong interest in healthcare and the medical sciences. Her academic interests include human biology, patient outcomes and care, and factors influencing health. Yana aspires to become a Physician Assistant, with the goal of helping people through compassionate, high-quality care. Outside of school, Yana enjoys staying active, spending time with friends and family, and learning more about medicine.

Reem Samet

Reem is a senior at CMHS and student at WSU. She is passionate about neuroscience, trauma medicine, healthcare education, and improving healthcare access through research and community outreach. In the future, she hopes to become an orthopedic trauma surgeon, conduct neuroscience research, and expand access to quality healthcare. Outside of academics, she enjoys reading classic literature, swimming, roller skating, and sketching.

Fatima Ahmed

Fatima is a junior at MMSTC and Warren Mott High School. Fatima’s research interests include gender discrimination and how societal expectations influences human behaviors. She plans to pursue an undergraduate degree with a major in Accounting and a minor in Sociology. Fatima enjoys reading, hanging out with her cousin, and traveling.

Ayat Ahmed

Ayat is a senior from Warren Mott High School and MMSTC. Her research interests include trauma psychology, social psychology,  and behavioral and mental disorders. She measures vitals and documents medical records at Waterford Clinic and Urgent Care as a volunteer. In her free time, Ayat goes on biking trips, draws nature sceneries and dress designs, and spends time with her family.

Zachary Zmijewski

Zachary is a junior at Lakeview High School and MMSTC. His primary research interest is immunology, specifically geared towards diseases like Celiac and T1 Diabetes. He is also interested in sports-science and how adverse childhood experiences can affect mental health. He aims to pursue either an MD-PhD program or a PhD. Zach's hobbies include playing hockey and other sports and playing games with friends.

Madison Thurman

Madison is a student at Cousino Senior High School and Macomb Community College. Her research interests include sexual and domestic violence prevention, intersectionality, racial bias, and rape culture/myths. Madison's career interest involve being a victims' rights attorney, with a strong interest in policy and activism. When she's not working on research or policy, she's painting, playing on her guitar, making clothes, doing henna or her nails, or at the mall.