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UT Tyler Propels Sibal to Pharmacy Profession, Fundamental Research

SibalMost of Heather Sibal’s classmates are 20 years her junior. Most of them also know she has no qualms about discussing hot flashes or how her right hip can predict the weather. The Archer City native has discovered a person of any age can do their best and make the world a better place. And she discovered that fact at the UT Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy.

The P4 pharmacy student, who previously worked in real estate and executive administration, found herself changing career paths when the recession of 2009 hit. After the thought of becoming a medical doctor left her squeamish, she decided to return to school as a pre-pharmacy major due to her love of science, math and chemistry.

When the time came for Sibal to apply to pharmacy schools to continue her education, Sibal said she was sold on UT Tyler in the first interview, after disheartening experiences at other schools.

“UT Tyler interviews differently, and in a good way,” Sibal said. “You feel like they want you here, and they show it. I really wanted to get in after hearing Dean Brunner speak, learning about their team-based learning approach and feeling so welcome. I was accepted into another school as well, but I felt better about UT Tyler. I still believe I made the right choice.”

FUNDAMENTAL CANCER RESEARCH

On a whim, Sibal volunteered to conduct fundamental cancer research with FCOP's medicinal chemistry professor Dr. May Abdelaziz, whose lab focuses on drug discovery. Abdelaziz and her team are discovering new medical treatments that target a protein found in aggressive type of breast cancers.

Sibal was drawn to organic chemistry while an undergraduate, but became more interested in  biochemistry when her sister was diagnosed with a rare illness. Sibal believes that biochemistry will be the key to curing, or at least treating, the illness. A discussion about biochemistry during one of the professor’s lectures sparked Sibal’s interest in the research.

“I just volunteered after class one day, and she has mentored me ever since,” Sibal said. “So, all I needed to do was show an interest. I’m so happy to be able to conduct real-world research and make a difference. UT Tyler definitely has prepared me to become successful in my new profession.”

The team procured some of the promising compounds from different drug companies. Sibal would conduct tests and add the compounds to different types of cells to determine if they might inhibit the cancer cells while having a nontoxic effect on normal human cells. She then analyzed and compared the results. She would also trouble shoot when an experiment would go awry. Out of 14 different compounds, there was one compound that proved promising. That discovery was “very exciting,” Sibal noted. 

"It is a weird thing being in the lab – you fail an awful lot, but if your results come out the way you expected – not better than expected, just what you thought might happen – the moment is pure jubilation,” Sibal said.

Sibal enjoys gaining real-world experience working with Abdelaziz and fondly refers to her as a “true mentor and total brainiac bad ass with a quick wit.”

“She makes time spent in the lab interesting and fun, and I have often said that I want to be like her when I grow up,” Sibal said. “Her kindness is on display 24/7, and she draws on her gentle nature when teaching so that students are not discouraged by their failures—rather, they’re more apt to learn from their mistakes.”

PAVING THE WAY

Abdelaziz said she was instantly impressed by Sibal, who was the first PharmD student to join the lab in spring 2018. Sibal established some of the lab protocols the team is currently using for mammalian cell maintenance and cellular assays, and she helped train two of the undergraduate students who joined the team.

“Heather was very enthusiastic to conduct biomedical research and displayed exemplary professionalism and commitment,” said Abdelaziz, who has served UT Tyler since 2017. “Few PharmD students are passionate about bench research the way she is, and our lab was lucky to host her during those early days. She helped set a high standard that my other student researchers thrive to maintain up to this day.”

Sibal encourages all UT Tyler students to get involved with research as she did.

“If any student is interested in research or a specialty, they can go to the professor who is the specialist in that field for information and direction–all they want is someone who is willing to learn and do their best.”

Sibal’s ultimate career goal is to become a Medical Science Liaison—a pharmacist who specializes in a medication, class of medications or a specific disease state and works with different healthcare professionals to help them to better understand a product such as a drug or medical device.

In her spare time, Sibal enjoys creative writing and spending time with her two daughters, boyfriend and Yorkshire terrier.

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