Category: Medical & Molecular Sciences
From medical sciences to law school
November 02, 2023 Written by Amy Cherry | Photo Submitted by Christina Tao
91原创 alumna touts master's in medical sciences as career pathway to law school
From a young age, Christina Tao was always interested in science, technology, engineering, and math. She remembers her mom and dad, who obtained their doctorates in physical chemistry and biophysics, respectively, advancing her knowledge.
鈥淲hile I was learning addition, they would start teaching me multiplication,鈥 Tao recalled. 鈥淲e also did fun science experiments and watched chemistry videos geared towards kids in the early days of YouTube. They鈥檝e always been supportive of my educational pursuits.鈥
It鈥檚 no surprise that after getting her undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Maryland, Tao went on to earn her master鈥檚 in medical sciences from the 91原创.
鈥淚 enjoyed working in the laboratory doing organic chemistry, so I knew I wanted to pursue research,鈥 she said.
While at 91原创, Tao worked closely with professors of medical and molecular sciences, Mona Batish and Vijay Parashar, conducting biochemistry research on proteins and inhibitors.
鈥淲ith a foundation in chemistry, Christina brought a keen passion for drug discovery,鈥 Batish said. 鈥淗er precision played a pivotal role in successfully organizing and executing drug screening experiments in the laboratory.鈥
Both Batish and Parashar served as mentors to Tao.
鈥淭hey helped me define exactly what I was doing with my research and what I wanted to do going forward while also giving me the autonomy to think critically and expand my research into areas of interest,鈥 Tao said. 鈥淚n my studies, I鈥檇 make a discovery, and they鈥檇 encourage me to pursue it further. I enjoyed that independent aspect of research in academia.鈥
Batish and Parashar remember Tao as a bright, budding scientist.
鈥淚nfused with enthusiasm, Christina frequently brought forward 'newly discovered' drug candidates and was always open to optimizing methods that could potentially revolutionize our conclusions,鈥 Parashar said. 鈥淭his commitment reflected her unwavering dedication to uncovering the most potent drugs.鈥
After graduating with her master鈥檚 in 2021, Tao worked for a year as a staff scientist at QPS in Newark. While she loved research, she realized she didn鈥檛 want to spend her career in a lab.
鈥淚 wanted to be more involved in the reading and writing about research, so I began exploring different pathways,鈥 she said.
She craved further education but wasn鈥檛 sure a Ph.D. was the best fit. She didn鈥檛 know it then, but her graduate studies at 91原创 extensively prepared her for the next step in her career journey. Tao is now in her first year at Seton Hall University School of Law in New Jersey.
鈥淏eing able to read and understand scientific research and being familiar with PubMed has been instrumental in helping me succeed in law school,鈥 she said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of hard work,鈥 she admitted. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of technical reading and writing, and that鈥檚 where coming from a science background prepares you. You can read dense writing, and at times, you鈥檒l see terms in Latin, and you can figure out the meaning from context鈥攖hat鈥檚 a skill that gets built on when conducting scientific research. Law itself is built on researching previous cases, so my classes in medical sciences also really helped me with how to pick out relevant information and ways to conduct research.鈥
Her studies also helped her develop a logical mindset that鈥檚 much needed in law school.
鈥淚 entered law school not knowing much about what litigation involves, and I鈥檓 looking forward to bettering my skills in that area.鈥
She aspires to be an attorney specializing in patent law because it combines her passions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the most scientifically relevant field of law,鈥 she said. 鈥淧atent law is a cutting-edge science. Businesses need patent-protected products. In undergrad, I was always interested in pharmaceuticals because of the links to organic chemistry and biochemistry.鈥
She鈥檚 interested in the patent disputes that have emerged over mRNA vaccines developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淚鈥檓 interested in keeping up to date on those developments, and someday, want to help companies when and if they fail to get a patent,鈥 she said. 鈥淣ew Jersey has a lot of pharmaceutical companies, so I鈥檇 love to be in-house counsel for one of those companies or work for the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in Virginia.鈥 聽
She鈥檚 not alone in her somewhat unusual path to law school. Tao said she鈥檚 met others who went to pharmacy school and are now getting their law degree. Her master鈥檚 in medical science is perfect for her specialization in patent law.
鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to go to law school to take the Patent Bar Exam, but you do need at least a bachelor鈥檚 in either science or engineering,鈥 Tao said. 鈥淢any experts in patent law have Ph. Ds in fields like chemistry or biology. My master鈥檚 in medical sciences has made me much more familiar with talking and reading about science and being able to explain science to others.鈥澛