Nur M. Bookwala, BS

Research Assistant, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
Department of Psychiatry
Uniformed Services University

Nur M. Bookwala is a research assistant at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress (CSTS). She graduated from the George Washington University in May 2022 with a B.S. in Biology with a concentration in Cellular and Molecular Biology as well as minors in Public Health and French. For her undergraduate senior thesis, she worked under the mentorship of Dr. Karen McDonnell to conduct a qualitative research study on female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and stigma in the Dawoodi Bohra community. She was the recipient of the Enosinian Scholars Award for her work on this thesis, which culminated in a formal thesis defense. She also presented at several conferences and won the Women’s Rights and Gender Equality first place prize at the GW Research Showcase. She recently completed a one-year Postbaccalaureate Fellowship at NIDA/NIH (National Institute for Drug Abuse) in the Behavioral Neuroscience branch. There, she was responsible for running a behavioral economic choice model of remifentanil vs. milk reward with squirrel monkeys, including administering pharmacological pretreatments, monitoring intravenous catheters, and training subjects for intramuscular injections. Nur plans to pursue a JD/PhD in psychology and a career in research focused on trauma, psychiatric conditions, and women’s health.