Ali Mashadi, BA is a recent graduate from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, having earned a degree in Human Physiology and Urdu in May 2023. Ali aspires to pursue medical school, with a special interest in cardiac surgery as a future specialty. Additionally, he has grown a desire to pursue an academic medical career, with hopes to engage in the triad of clinical, research, and teaching work in the future.

Ali gained experience in conducting both Basic Science and Clinical/outcomes research as an undergraduate student. He began with basic science research working alongside Dr. DeWayne Townsend, DVM, Ph.D. from 2019 to 2021. In this lab, Ali studied the cardiac effects of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Following this, he began working on clinical/outcomes research work in the field of congenital cardiac surgery with Dr. Sameh Said, M.B.B.Ch, M.D., FACC, FACS. To date, Ali and Dr. Said have collaborated on more than 20 research materials, in the forms of traditional manuscripts, surgical teaching videos, and presentations at national and international conferences.

Asides from his research, Ali has been involved in several student organizations at the University of Minnesota. He was the founder, and inaugural president, of a group called Multipotentialites in Medicine (MinM’s) which is a Pre-Health Student Organization focusing on informing and teaching undergraduate students about the multi-disciplinary aspects of medical practice (ex: Research, Policy, Administration, etc). This group is advised by Dr. Eric Wise, MD, MA. Additionally, he served as the President of the Pakistani Student Association (PSA) during the 2022-2023 academic school year, teaching others about his Pakistani culture spanning across the University and general Minnesota populations.