Dabie is also a scholar in the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) chapter at Fordham, which has mutually brought her much of her academic success. (Courtesy of Claudia Dabie for The Fordham Ram)

Hailing from West Africa and having conducted her research work in institutions from the Bronx Zoo to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Claudia Dabie, FCRH ’25, is studying the effects of humankind’s actions on our own environment and its animal species, including ourselves.

In 2017, Dabie moved from her native Ghana to the United States to start high school at Bronxville Preparatory Academy. “Here in America, my mother told me about the significance of my race and skin color and the importance of education for my future as a Black person,” Dabie said. “After that conversation, I made it my mission to make her proud.”  And she graduated top of her class with a 4.0 GPA in 2021. That autumn, the high school valedictorian kicked off a double major in biological sciences and African and African-American studies.

Dabie is also a scholar in the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) chapter at Fordham, which has mutually brought her much of her academic success. CSTEP, a statewide undergraduate program funded by the NYS Education Department, aims to prepare minority and economically disadvantaged students for professional careers in fields they are interested in, yet demographically underrepresented in — including STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), and Dabie’s studies in biology.

During summer 2023, Dabie started to do research with the Program to Inspire Minority and Underserved Undergraduates in Environmental Health Science Research (PrIMER) in conducting studies hosted at the laboratories of Columbia University. With backing by the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, one of the NIH’s 27 constituting institutes for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, PrIMER directly provides research opportunities for full-time undergraduates of underrepresented minorities in underserved communities, much like CSTEP does. The chance for Dabie to pursue further lab work led her to investigate the validity of immunohistochemical markers in mice that indicate neurotoxicity associated with chronic drinking water metals exposures. Currently continuing her PrIMER work, she now spends five hours per week in the lab, a figure dwarfed by the scale of and fact that her full-time responsibilities called for her to work in the lab every weekday, Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.. 

“There is a high prevalence of heart disease and diabetes afflicting rural areas in the U.S. Northern Plains, including Indigenous communities,” Dabie said. “Toxic elements, such as arsenic and uranium, are known to affect communities in the Northern Plains and are thought to contribute to the prevalence of these diseases. Hazardous metals in drinking water are major contaminants around Superfund sites and abandoned uranium mines. In addition to cardiovascular diseases, there is burgeoning evidence that these metals are toxic to the brain.” Dabie collaborated with Fordham’s Dr. Brandon Pearson on a study to determine the neurological effects of arsenic and uranium from drinking water in private wells and rural water systems in the Northern Plains. “We utilized immunohistochemistry to visualize brain cells and tissue and assess for neurotoxicity in arsenic and uranium exposed mice,” shared Dabie. “This project will advance the ability to recognize strong molecular signatures and mechanistic pathways in order to aid in the creation of intervention strategies and improve our understanding of the neurotoxicity of metals in other mammals- such as humans.”

The summer following her freshman year in 2022, Dabie began her research career with Project TRUE, an internship offered by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) through the Bronx Zoo. Fordham annually harnesses its connections with the Bronx Zoo, which jointly selects just five CSTEP scholar Rams to participate in urban ecology research. Dabie applied and became one of the few accepted students. Project TRUE provides students of disadvantaged backgrounds opportunities to conduct research, and in turn, they provide mentorship to high school students interested in STEM careers.

While studying at the Bronx Zoo, Dabie partnered with WCS staff and Fordham faculty to design and conduct her independent research project. “To be specific, my project focused on how urbanization was affecting urban mammals,” said Dabie. Her duties included mentoring a trio of high school research assistants and leading the team on field research in the Bronx Zoo and Bronx Riverwalk. She created and maintained weekly schedules, facilitated urban ecology workshops, coordinated project communication and social media and utilized camera traps for mammal observation. She employed low-intrusion tools in gathering observed data to investigate her hypothesis while sustainably taking care to ensure she left little to no disturbance to her target species and surrounding environment. “My research led me to the conclusion that urban mammals prefer habitat patches that allow them to live separately from humans, despite the fact that they may be dependent on certain human resources for survival,” said Dabie. “I also drew the conclusion that urban mammals move across sites in search of elements that are advantageous to them, such as preferable food options.” When she had concluded her research, WCS and the Bronx Zoo celebrated Dabie’s achievements by publishing her work in her honor.

Along with her ongoing PrIMER studies, Dabie also serves as a work-study peer for Fordham’s CSTEP/STEP. She credits her research and knowledge in science with enabling her to mentor and tutor middle/high school and college students in STEM courses. “CSTEP/STEP has exponentially advanced my leadership skills and taught me how to handle myself under the pressures of the advanced sciences,” Dabie said. “It was coming to Fordham and being a part of programs like these that exposed me to a vast connection of opportunities that I’m taking advantage of.”

Dabie said she concedes she used to experience imposter syndrome regarding where she is today. “Thanks to my family and friends who have been supporting me throughout my journey, I can only be proud and appreciative of the support system I have had. It wasn’t easy to get to where I am, and so I am very grateful,” she observed. “I’m proud of myself.”