Our client’s path from treating childhood allergies to studying transplant tolerance reflects a sustained interest in how the immune system distinguishes between harmful threats and substances it should accept. Following medical school and specialist training in pediatrics and pediatric allergy and immunology, she earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology and genetics at Bilkent University. At the time of filing, she was conducting postdoctoral research at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, examining immune responses in combined organ and blood-forming stem cell transplantation. Her work also included research on pig-to-human kidney transplantation.
Our firm prepared her EB-2 NIW petition by connecting this research agenda with her clinical and scientific preparation. We presented her advanced qualifications, publications, and research experience, including doctoral work on the role of extracellular vesicles in immune responses. The petition explained how her proposed investigations into donor-specific tolerance could inform approaches to transplant rejection, while her broader immunology expertise supported research into allergic and immune-related disorders. This evidence established the basis for our arguments regarding the endeavor’s national importance and her ability to advance it.
USCIS approved her I-140 petition under the EB-2 National Interest Waiver category. The research described in her case looks beyond the transplant procedure itself to a persistent challenge: helping the recipient’s immune system accept a donated organ without requiring lifelong suppression. Her approval supports her plans to continue investigating that goal in the United States, alongside work exploring new possibilities for addressing the shortage of donor organs.
