By Fabiha Saddat, Research Team Member
Dr. Rana Dajani is a Palestinian-Syrian woman in STEMM whose incredible determination has left an indelible mark on society. She is a molecular biologist who’s journey to receiving a Ph.D. was filled with obstacles, but support from her family and her unwavering dedication has led to an incredible career in academia and humanitarian efforts. Today, we delve into the extraordinary life and the remarkable accomplishments of Dr. Rana Dajani.
Her early passion for knowledge:
Rana Dajani’s story began in Jordan, where she was born to a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother, and a household with a passion for education and scientific pursuits. Her father, a professor in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Jordan, was instrumental in helping her grow her curious nature. They didn’t have access to television at home, but they had a lot of Arabic and English magazines such as Al-Araby Magazine, Scientific American, and National Geographic. Every evening, Rana and her sisters used to engage in discussing their readings with their father, cultivating a deep passion for learning.
Her extraordinary path to obtaining a Ph.D:
Following her completion of a B.Sc in biology from the University of Jordan in 1989 and a Masters degree in 1992, she dreamed of pursuing a Ph.D. in molecular biology. She was accepted as a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Cambridge, however, financial barriers stopped her from accepting this exceptional endeavour. However, she held onto the admission letter as a symbol of her commitment to her dreams. She still holds on to that letter.
She was a mother of three, and her husband was a colonel in the Jordanian Air Force. Her husband, recognizing her passions and talent, urged her to keep applying to the Fulbright scholarship for doctoral studies at the University of Iowa. Soon, she was preparing for her interview for the scholarship. She gave birth to her fourth child on the day of her interview. She didn’t know how she would travel away from home, leaving her children or husband behind. In support of his wife’s academic pursuits, her husband relinquished his prestigious position in the Air Force.They then went to the United States, where Rana’s husband took immense care and responsibility of the children alongside Rana, allowing her to balance her family life while immersing in her dream of postdoctoral studies. In 2005, she earned her Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of Iowa.
Her pioneering research:
Dr. Rana Dajani returned to Jordan in 2006, where she became an assistant professor at the Hashemite University’s Faculty of Science. She then started researching the diseases in Jordan’s Chechen and Circassian communities and received an initial grant of $250,000 for her pioneering research. She was able to establish laboratories, collect samples and create DNA databases for these communities, attracting scientists from the global landscape.
By 2011, Dajani also started an Ethics of Stem Cell Use Stakeholder Committee composed of scientists, physicians, religious scholars, Arabic language experts, and lawyers to address and understand the ethics of stem cell research as she believed that stem cell technology would become a normal global means of treating many diseases.
By 2014, Dajani was using genome-wide association analysis to investigate novel risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and type 2 diabetes mellitus in Circassian and Chechen populations in Jordan. She also created databases of anthropological, DNA, and medical records of these genetically homogeneous populations to study the evolution of diabetes.
In order to overcome challenges associated with sample analysis in Jordan, she partnered up with international universities, furthering her research impact and reach. She led research at associations like the Jordan National Chapter of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and the Society for the Advancement of Science and Technology in the Arab World (SASTA). She is the former Director and Chair of the OWSD, and the current president of SASTA
Her humanitarian efforts:
In 2006, Dajani started a “We Love Reading” program inspired by her childhood and family’s love for reading. This program involved reading aloud to children in her local mosque in Amman. This simple yet powerful program has crossed borders and spread to more than 60 countries. Over 7,000 volunteers have become "reading ambassadors” aiming to promote the mission of "We Love Reading". Rana’s aim for the program is to nurture a love for reading in children, and ensure that the books are accessible to every community, including those living in refugee camps. Its impact has been huge, especially in refugee environments where access to educational opportunities is scarce.
Her humanitarian efforts through "We Love Reading," Dr. Rana Dajani was recognized and honored by UNHCR, and she received the Nansen Refugee Award for the Middle East and North Africa region in 2020.