VAI Folio 2023

ALL OF IT IS FOCUSED ON BRINGING
TOGETHER THE BEST IDEAS FROM
AROUND THE GLOBE TO ACHIEVE
TRANSFORMATIONAL BREAKTHROUGHS
IN SCIENCE AND EDUCATION.
A PASSION FOR RESEARCH
Van Andel Institute Graduate School Alum
Dr. Menusha Arumugam was always inspired
by science, but unlike many of her peers who
aspired to become doctors, she found herself
most at home in the research lab. She learned
of Van Andel Institute after coming to the
United States from Malaysia to study biology
as an undergraduate student. During her first
visit to VAI, “the commitment everyone has to
supporting, mentoring and developing one
another here was clear right away.”
While studying at VAI, Dr. Arumugam worked
alongside some of the sharpest minds in science
as she pursued advances in cancer research. “I’m
grateful for the experience I had at the Institute.
I’ve talked to graduate students at other schools
and they don’t get nearly the level of support
we do here. It’s an incredible opportunity that’s
allowing me to fulfill my dream of helping
people through my passion
for research.”
“I’ve wanted to be a scientist my whole life.
Even as a graduate student at VAI, I felt
like a trusted colleague. I was treated like
someone who will contribute to the next
breakthrough in human health.”
Dr. Menusha Arumugam
Van Andel Institute Graduate School Alum
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