Pardis Sabeti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Pardis Sabeti
Sabeti in 2011
Born	Pardis Christine Sabeti (1975-12-25) 25 December 1975 (age 49) Tehran, Iran
Education	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS) New College, Oxford (MSc, DPhil) Harvard University (MD)
Awards	TIME 100 National Academy of Medicine
Scientific career
Fields	Evolutionary genetics Genetic epidemiology Computational biology
Institutions	Harvard University Broad Institute Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Thesis	The Effects of Natural Selection and Recombination on Genetic Diversity in Humans: An Investigation of Plasmodium Falciparum Malaria in African Populations (2002)
Doctoral advisor	Ryk Ward Anthony Boyce

Pardis Christine Sabeti was born on December 25, 1975. She is an Iranian-American scientist who studies computational biology, medical genetics, and evolutionary genetics. This means she uses computers to understand how genes work and how living things change over time.

She is a professor at Harvard University and works at the Broad Institute. She is also a researcher for the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Dr. Sabeti and her team have created new ways to find, track, and fight dangerous germs. These include viruses like Ebola, Zika, Lassa, and SARS-CoV-2 (which causes COVID-19). They also developed powerful computer programs and tools to study human genes.

Time Magazine named Dr. Sabeti one of their "Persons of the Year" in 2014. This was for her work fighting Ebola. She was also listed as one of the 100 most influential people in 2015. She received a Time 100 Impact Award for her work during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is now part of the National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Sabeti hosts educational shows like Against All Odds: Inside Statistics and Crash Course: Outbreak Science. She is also the lead singer and songwriter for a rock band called Thousand Days.

Early Life and Education

Pardis Sabeti was born in 1975 in Tehran, Iran. Her parents were Nasrin and Parviz Sabeti. Her family left Iran in October 1978, when she was two years old. They moved to Florida to find safety.

As a child, Pardis dreamed of being a flower-shop owner, a writer, or a doctor. But she loved math the most. Her older sister, Parisa, helped her learn school material early. This meant Pardis was almost two years ahead of her classmates. She also played many sports, including competitive tennis.

High School Years

Sabeti went to Trinity Preparatory School in Florida. In high school, she was a top student and the class president. She was also on the varsity tennis team. She says the 1995 movie Outbreak helped inspire her interest in infectious diseases.

College and Beyond

Sabeti attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She played on the varsity tennis team and was class president. She graduated in 1997 with a degree in biology. She had a perfect grade average. At MIT, she started her research in a lab and helped teach genetics.

She was chosen as a Rhodes Scholar. This allowed her to study at New College, Oxford in England. She earned a master's degree and a doctorate in evolutionary genetics in 2002.

Later, she earned her medical degree (M.D.) from Harvard Medical School in 2006. She was one of only three women to receive this honor with the highest distinction. She first planned to become a doctor. But after medical school, she decided she liked research more.

Career and Research

Dr. Sabeti's work focuses on understanding human genes and fighting infectious diseases.

Studying Human Genetics

While studying at Oxford and working at the Broad Institute, Dr. Sabeti created new ways to find parts of the human genome that have changed quickly over time. These changes often happen when a gene gives people an advantage, like protection from a disease. Her methods help scientists find these important genetic changes.

Fighting Infectious Diseases

For ten years, Dr. Sabeti worked with Christian Happi, a geneticist from Africa. They worked together in West Africa on diseases like Lassa fever. In 2014, they started the African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Disease (ACEGID). This center helps track germs and train scientists in Africa.

Ebola Outbreak Response

During the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, their work was very important. They helped find the first cases in Sierra Leone and Nigeria. They used advanced genomic sequencing to figure out how the virus spread from animals to humans. They also showed that the virus was changing to infect human cells more easily.

Tracking Other Viruses

Dr. Sabeti's team continued to help with outbreaks. They developed tools to understand how viruses start, change, and spread.

• During the Zika epidemic in 2016, her team studied the virus more than anyone else. They found that Zika had been spreading for many months without being noticed.
• In 2018, during a Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria, her team quickly sequenced the virus. This gave real-time information to Nigeria's health officials about how the outbreak began and spread.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic, her team studied the virus's genes. They found early "superspreader" events and new variants of the virus. They also studied how the virus spread from vaccinated people.

In 2019, Dr. Sabeti and Dr. Happi received funding to build "Sentinel." This system is designed to help prevent and respond to future pandemics.

Outreach and Teaching

Dr. Sabeti is also passionate about sharing science with others.

• In May 2015, she gave a TED Talk called "How we'll fight the next deadly virus."
• In September 2021, she joined the Crash Course channel on YouTube to host a series called "Outbreak Science."
• She also hosts the "Against All Odds" video series. This series helps high school and college students understand statistics.
• She often speaks at the Research Science Institute at MIT, which is for high school students.

Awards and Honors

Dr. Sabeti has received many awards for her important work.

• In 2012, she won the American Ingenuity Award from Smithsonian magazine.
• In 2014, she received the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science.
• She is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and a National Geographic Emerging Explorer.
• She was named one of Time Magazine's "Persons of the Year" in 2014 (Ebola Fighters).
• She was also on Time Magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in 2015.
• In 2022, she received the Time 100 Impact Award.
• The BBC included her on their list of 100 Women in 2020.
• In 2015, she was chosen as a prestigious Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.
• She has also received awards from the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, the Packard Foundation, and the NIH Director's New Innovator Award.
• She was inducted into the National Academy of Medicine in 2020.

Personal Life

Besides her science work, Dr. Sabeti is the lead singer and songwriter for the rock band Thousand Days. She also enjoys playing volleyball and plays in Harvard's summer volleyball league.

In July 2015, Dr. Sabeti had a serious accident. She was a passenger in an ATV that went off a cliff. She broke her pelvis and knees and had a brain injury. She worked hard in rehabilitation to be able to return to teaching and research.

Filmography

• Against All Odds ... Host (32 episodes)
• Crash Course - Outbreak Science Host (15 episodes)

See also

In Spanish: Pardis Sabeti para niños