Biology Alum Finds Her Path Alongside Supportive Faculty & Community

That’s when her interest in science took off and Madison realized that she wanted to understand the biology behind the disease, and create preventative health methods and new treatments.

The Greenville, Pennsylvania native, who graduated from Duquesne in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in biology and minors in biochemistry, Spanish and public health, said it was that interest in medicine that brought her to Duquesne, where she began working in Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Sarah Woodley’s lab.

While her original goal was to work as a clinician or further her education by going to medical school, the research work in the lab changed her focus and she decided on a slightly different path.

“I found that I didn’t want to pursue medicine from a clinical perspective, but instead from a methodology perspective and learn how we can create medicines and interventions to better treat diseases,” said Madison whose determination may one day help find a cure for cancer.

With countless hours being spent in the lab, it was a longstanding joke among her biology peers that Madison was the “microscope girl” of the University. She said one of the keys to her lab success was Woodley’s mentorship.

“She has had a huge influence on my career,” said Madison about her close connection with Woodley. “She taught me so much and always pushed me to work toward bigger goals.”

"My favorite part of mentoring undergraduate researchers in my laboratory is the opportunity to get to know them on a more personal level and to see them grow as scientists and critical thinkers," said Woodley. "I feel fortunate to be part of Madi's journey. " 

A journey that also included the loss of Madison's father to cancer in January 2022. The personal support she received from the Duquesne community meant a lot during a very difficult time in her life. 

“It was nice to have people to lean on at that time,” reflected Madison. “They know you as a person so having those relationships is so important. I know it would have been different if I had gone to school somewhere else.”

After graduating from Duquesne, Madison went to the University of Michigan on a scholarship and graduated in May 2024 with a Master's of Public Health in Global Health and Epidemiology.

“My time at Duquesne was more focused on the basics of science research,” she said. “A lot of the functional skills developed from that experience carried over to my advanced studies as well."

And during the summer of 2023, Madison had the opportunity to use those skills for the better good in a 12-week internship in Kumasi, Ghana. There she worked alongside Dr. Ashura Bakari, a physician at Suntreso Government Hospital in Kumasi, and her research team to survey college students to better understand the knowledge and willingness of females in Ghana to undergo cancer screening for breast and cervical cancer.

Madison is now reaching her bigger goals and passion for service as a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of Global Public Health. 

"I am so impressed by how Madi made the most of her time at Duquesne, both as a biology student and also through her many service activities," continued Woodley. "It is inspiring to see her start a PhD program in global public health and I cannot wait to see what she does next."