When University of Richmond junior Ela Hebeka talks about her plans to become a surgical oncologist, she doesn’t speak in abstract goals because she’s already well on her way to achieving them. Between long hours in a computational chemistry lab, volunteering in the critical care unit at VCU Health, and fielding emergency calls as an EMT with the Goochland County Department of Fire-Rescue & Emergency Services, Hebeka is building a foundation grounded equally in science and service.

A biochemistry and molecular biology major with a second major in Arabic studies, Hebeka grew up in New York City and was drawn to the University of Richmond because of its reputation of small classes, supportive faculty, and community focus. “Even my larger science lectures feel conversational,” she said. “And my professors really want me to succeed.”

Hebeka’s scientific bent has found a home in professor Carol Parish’s computational chemistry lab, which she has been involved with since her first year on campus. Her independent project focuses on halogen bonding in damaged DNA base pairs, work that could inform the design of new anti-cancer drugs.

“The technology we have in Dr. Parish’s lab allows us to run quantum mechanical calculations to understand the stability of DNA structures,” she said. “It’s exciting because computational chemistry is still such a new and rapidly advancing field.”

This fall, Hebeka shared the lab’s research findings at the Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Orlando, Florida. It was her first oral presentation after several poster sessions at national conferences. “It’s a huge milestone,” she said. “We’ve all put in so much work, and to be able to share it is incredibly rewarding.”

Volunteering in an emergency

While the lab satisfies her intellectual curiosity, Hebeka’s volunteer work feeds her drive to help others in real time. Through the guidance of biology faculty John Vaughan, Richmond’s director of pre-health education, she began volunteering at VCU Health, spending two-hour rotations each week in the surgical trauma ICU, pathology lab, and other departments. “I was interacting with patients, families, nurses, and doctors. I really got immersed in hospital life,” she said.

That experience inspired her to earn her EMT certification. She now spends much of her free time with Goochland County Fire-Rescue. “I’m constantly learning from people who have years of experience,” she said. “You never know what kind of call you’re going to get. It could be a fall or a respiratory emergency, but every call teaches me something new.”

One call that’s stayed with her involved an elderly patient in respiratory distress. “We could actually see his vitals improving in real time with the interventions we gave,” Hebeka said. “I’d just learned about hyperventilation and blood pH in biochem, so it clicked when I was able to apply that knowledge in the field. It reminded me exactly why I want to go into medicine.”

Hebeka is also working with UR’s student-run first responder squad, UREMS, which partners with the Richmond Ambulance Authority and UR Police Department. “It’s all students, and we respond to campus emergencies using a quick-response vehicle,” she said. “It’s a unique way to serve the campus community.”

Raising funds for cancer

Outside the lab and the field, Hebeka serves as director of philanthropy for her sorority, Delta Delta Delta, which raises funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Over the summer, she traveled to Memphis to visit St. Jude and the Tri Delta Place short-term housing facility for families who need somewhere to stay while their children are receiving treatment.

“It was really powerful to see where our fundraising goes,” she said. “It made every late-night event or letter-writing campaign feel worth it.”

Though her days are packed with classes, research, and shifts that sometimes stretch past midnight, Hebeka wouldn’t trade the experience. “I love what I do,” she said. “It’s a lot of balancing but knowing that every step brings me closer to my dream keeps me grounded.”

Next spring, she’ll sit for the MCAT and apply to medical schools with a goal of specializing in surgical oncology, a path inspired by her lab work and her clinical experiences shadowing Dr. Kandace McGuire, a 1998 Richmond graduate, who practices at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“Watching her in the clinic and the operating room reaffirmed everything for me,” Hebeka said. “That’s exactly what I want to do.”