Meet Mary
Maryam (Mary) Bellakbira is a nationally recognized youth leader in medtech innovation and women's health advocacy. She has distinguished herself through her commitment to health equity and addressing healthcare disparities across communities. As a published researcher, Maryam explores cutting-edge advancements in vaccine applications, cancer and endocrine therapies, and diagnostic technologies. Her work bridges the gap between scientific innovation and accessible healthcare solutions.
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Maryam serves as a nationwide advocate with the Girl Up, United Nations Foundation, where she drives initiatives at the intersection of healthcare, technology, and innovation. Her leadership has been recognized with her selection to the Elf Cosmetics and HerCampus: 22 Under 22 Class of 2025 Cohort, Glamour Magazine and more
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Mary is a rising fourth year undergraduate student at Cornell University. She is also a Previous NASA Researcher, Harvard Medical School Researcher, Stanford AUI Scholar and Ronald. E McNair Scholar. As the founder of a Hormolize, she's tackling one of healthcare's most pressing yet underserved challenges: aging and hormone health. With 80% of women globally suffering from hormone abnormalities, she's innovating in hormone data analysis and technology to transform how we understand and treat hormone-related conditions in the healthcare tech industry.
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She's an advocate for women's health, aging, technology, engineering, healthcare, policy and entrepreneurship, with recognition from organizations like the United Nations Foundation, Girl Up, Kode with Klossy, Girls Who Code, and the Endocrine Society. Her involvements led to an invitation to the White House, recognizing her impact in gender equity & healthcare innovation. Her research journey includes work at NASA GSP studying space plants and at the Center for Applied Proteomics and Molecular Medicine, where she helped develop new technologies for advancements of vaccine like the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) vaccine. Starting at just 14 years old, Maryam published research on innovative approaches to vaccine development for future pandemics.
At Cornell, Mary is pursuing her BS in Biotechnology & Biomedical Engineering while working on numerous medtech devices and healthcare innovations. She's established herself as a youth leader in medical innovation, serving as team lead at three major medical technology hackathons, including Pfizer's first digital hackathon. Her latest project uses pupillometric data (pupil data) and device to diagnose ADHD, with a focus on making the technology accessible and affordable.
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Beyond her academic work, Mary is deeply involved in community innovation. She launched a hydroponics start up to address food security and worked with a team to develop a new organ perfusion system that helps preserve organs during transplant procedures.
Her commitment to social impact shows through her founding of an anti-human trafficking initiative with the University of Virginia Community during COVID and establishing the Juniorettes (Junior) chapter of the Women's General Federation - connecting to the generation that first secured women's voting rights. As an extroverted, young woman, Mary continues pushing boundaries and exploring new frontiers for better overall wellness of society and hope to continue to become a voice for the unheard and a mentor for other innovators - as Mary strongly believes that innovation creates a bigger impact.
My Research Story
Innovation Matters.
Representation Matters.
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You Matter.
My journey in scientific research began remarkably early, at age 14, when I was selected from thousands of applicants to conduct clinical research at the Center for Proteomics and Molecular Medicine in Northern Virginia. This early experience ignited my passion for research, innovation, and computational applications, setting me on a path to create novel products and systems that could make a meaningful impact.
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In the six years since that pivotal moment, my dedication to scientific inquiry has led to extraordinary opportunities for collaboration with Harvard Medical School, NASA, Cornell University, American University, The Endocrine Society, United Nations Foundation and many more. I've also had the privilege of serving as an ambassador for numerous companies, allowing me to bridge the gap between scientific research, innovation and practical applications.
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This journey hasn't been without its challenges, but it has been profoundly shaped by those who believed in my potential and supported my aspirations. To everyone who has contributed to my growth along the way: your guidance and support have been invaluable. I hope my story can inspire others to pursue their passions fearlessly, regardless of their age or circumstances.