An aspiring doctor, Kristina Andrade wanted to gain valuable, practical experience in the medical field during her undergraduate studies, so she secured a job as a medical assistant at a women’s health care facility in the metro Atlanta area and also traveled abroad to Honduras to help set up medical clinics.

The New York City native, now a graduate of the Biomedical Science and Enterprise bachelor’s degree program in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences and Honors College, wants to become a physician and eventually open her own practice.

When Khayla McClinton was growing up, she always heard adults complain about how much it cost to go to the doctor. They would avoid going unless it was an emergency.

In college, she noticed that many students wouldn’t see a doctor or dentist unless they were near home or covered by their parents’ health insurance. She and her friends would joke about taking an Uber to the hospital, rather than riding in an ambulance, because they couldn’t pay the bill.

McClinton said her family in Atlanta and Louisiana and her college friends didn’t seek medical care because they couldn’t afford it. Lack of access to health care is a huge problem faced by many.

When Caroline Williams made a cross-country move to Atlanta to pursue her Ph.D. at Georgia State, she was on a quest to gain experience doing research on emerging infectious diseases.

“At the time, I really was fascinated by Ebola and those really highly pathogenic and emerging viruses,” Williams said. “The program itself got me to apply, but the research was a big selling point.”

The native of Stockton, Calif. is now the first in her family to earn a Ph.D. and pursue a research career in the sciences. This summer, she earned her Ph.D. in Translational Biomedical Sciences ahead of schedule in four years, becoming the first graduate from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences’ doctoral program.