In a world where success stories often follow familiar scripts, Dr. Rasha Msallam writes her own. More than an immunologist. More than the founder of a forward-thinking consultancy. She is a scientist who chose disruption over comfort, purpose over predictability, and in doing so, she carved a profoundly personal and globally relevant path.

From a Coastal Childhood to the Edge of Scientific Curiosity

Rasha Msallam grew up in the quiet coastal town of Banias, Syria, in a home where science was valued and ambition had no gender. Encouraged to dream big like her brothers, she pursued dentistry at the University of Latakia (formerly Tishreen University). But something was missing. The clinic didn’t offer answers—only procedures. And her scientific curiosity was far from satisfied.

“I needed something that gave clinical work a logical framework — rooted in hard evidence, not guesswork,” she recalls. “I was looking for a different kind of path.”

That search took an unexpected turn in 2007. While working at Al-Razi Hospital in Aleppo, Rasha encountered immunology for the first time, and everything shifted.

“That’s when I realized immunology wasn’t just a field of study. It was a way of thinking about the body, healing, prevention, and even predicting disease before it starts.”

Paris: Where the System Tested Her — and She Mastered It

In 2009, Rasha moved to France with a clear goal: to deepen her scientific training. But the transition was anything but smooth. Paris offered her academic rigor and an unfamiliar system that wasn’t always kind to an Arab woman navigating elite scientific institutions.

Instead of resisting, she chose to adapt — and ultimately excel.

She earned three advanced degrees from Université Paris Descartes: a Master’s in Immunology, a second in Biological Engineering, and a PhD in Immunology.

“It wasn’t an easy road,” she says. “But I learned to think differently. That was the challenge — and it changed me. I also carried with me something priceless: the emotional support of my family, even across continents.”

Returning to Syria remained a strong pull after graduation. However, the gap between the research ecosystem she had immersed herself in and the infrastructure available back home proved too wide to ignore.

“I wanted to teach and build a lab in Syria. But there simply wasn’t a space for the research I had been trained to do. I made the hard decision to stay abroad — and build from there — while waiting for the right time to bring it home.”

Singapore: Where Research Meets Real Life

In 2016, Dr. Rasha Msallam relocated to Singapore, where science isn’t confined to the lab but woven into daily life. At the National Research Centre, she joined a research culture that was collaborative, ambitious, and globally focused.

Her work spanned critical areas, including:

How environmental factors during pregnancy shape allergy risks in infants

Early detection biomarkers for cancer

Understanding immune behavior in the context of cancer vaccines

Rasha published pioneering studies, including a genetically engineered mouse model that shed light on how non-specialized immune cells regulate allergic skin responses. She also co-developed a biomarker map tracing mast cell origins from fetal development to aging. One of her presentations earned second place at a major immunology conference.

Beyond the bench, she stepped into leadership:

She served as Secretary of the Singaporean Society for Immunology and Vice President of the Researchers’ Association at the center. She was part of the organizing committee for the Asia-Pacific Gender Summit.

NGIg: When Science Steps Out of the Lab

In 2022, Dr. Msallam launched her consultancy in Dubai: NextGen of Immunology Consultancy (NGIg) — a bold initiative to bridge science with real-world impact. NGIg isn’t just a business; it’s a platform that connects research with clinical practice and biotech innovation. The company collaborates with startups, scientists, and healthcare providers to fast-track the journey from lab discovery to practical application.

“I’ve always seen a painful gap between discovery and reality,” she says. “NGIg was born from the need to close that gap — not just technically, but culturally.”

The consultancy focuses on early cancer detection biomarkers and decoding the immune identity of cancer vaccines. Under Rasha’s leadership, NGIg is becoming a bridge, linking researchers, clinicians, and biotech entrepreneurs to accelerate innovation and bring it closer to the people who need it most.

A Scientific Mission with a Human Core

For Dr. Rasha Msallam, awards and publications are not the ultimate goal. What matters most is ensuring that science reaches people and becomes a shared language, not an exclusive one.

With plans to expand NGIg’s presence across the Gulf, she’s actively building partnerships — both for-profit and nonprofit — to promote a culture of scientific research starting as early as high school. She believes that actual scientific achievement lies in building ecosystems of collaboration that make knowledge accessible.

“My drive doesn’t come from ambition alone,” she says. “It comes from a conviction that there’s a real, persistent gap between the lab and the clinic. And closing it requires more than scientific tools. It needs partnerships, passion, and self-belief — especially when those things are shaken.”

Science as a Path to Equality — and a Future for Women in Syria

For Dr. Msallam, science is more than a profession — it’s a tool for social transformation, especially regarding women’s roles in Syria.

She believes true gender equality doesn’t come from special offices or ministries dedicated to women’s affairs. Framing women’s roles as “exceptional” only reinforces exclusion.

“Women in Syria — and everywhere — don’t need institutions to speak on their behalf. They need to be given their natural space, wherever they work. Women are naturally driven to succeed. Just stop boxing them in, and you’ll see extraordinary things.”

Dr. Rasha argues that change begins with education in schools, for both boys and girls, where science can be a language of empowerment rather than a hierarchy of exclusion.

“We need to stop gendering every role in society. When we do that, we stop reinforcing the myth that women are secondary contributors rather than essential forces.”

In both her work and her words, Dr. Rasha Msallam is a potent reminder that investing in women’s minds and trusting their vision is not just fair—it’s necessary.