Saint Mary’s Alumna Sahiba Dogra Kaur Enters UW Pharmacology PhD

Two years after graduating from Saint Mary's College of California in Moraga, Class of 2024 alumna Sahiba Dogra Kaur has advanced from undergraduate biology laboratories and a 2-year post-baccalaureate fellowship at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging to a doctoral program in Pharmacology at the University of Washington, according to a profile published Monday by Saint Mary's College NewsCenter associate editor Hayden Royster.

From a 7-Food Rare-Disease Diet to the De La Salle Award in Moraga

Kaur's commitment to drug discovery began with her own diagnosis of Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), a rare genetic condition that restricted her diet to just 7 foods for much of her life until the biologic medication Dupixent was approved to treat EoE in 2022:

• Undergraduate Research & Campus Leadership: While studying Biology and Data Science at Saint Mary's, Kaur conducted laboratory research alongside former visiting professor Kai Blaisdell and Professor of Biology Vidya Chandresan, served as president of the DiverseAbilities Club, and presented a 2024 talk on EoE and Dupixent at the annual Student Research and Creative Works Conference. In her senior year, she received 3 academic awards, including the De La Salle Award, the college's highest honor for academic and overall excellence.
• Drug-Target Screening at the Buck Institute: In fall 2024, Kaur entered a structured 1- to 2-year post-baccalaureate research fellowship at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging in her hometown of Novato. After a 1-month rotation spending 1 week in each faculty laboratory studying Alzheimer's disease, kidney biology, and computational aging, she matched with Dr. Julie Anderson's laboratory to evaluate biological drug targets for difficult-to-treat diseases.

Entering the University of Washington Pharmacology PhD Program

In August 2026, after interviewing with doctoral programs in New York City, California, and Washington, Kaur enrolled in the PhD program in Pharmacology at the University of Washington in Seattle—citing its collaborative research ties with Seattle Children's Hospital and the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, stable graduate funding, and supportive faculty mentorship rooted in the habits she developed in Moraga.