Theodora Chatzilygeroudi is a Ph.D. candidate at the Medical School, University of Patras, where she also obtained her medical degree in 2017. Her passion for hematology was ignited unexpectedly during her medical school years and was established through a 3-month Erasmus placement clinical attachment at St. James's University Hospital in Leeds, UK. After graduation, she worked as a clinical trials sub-investigator in the Hematology Department, University Hospital of Patras, and she was chosen to participate in a 4-month postgraduate internship program for young doctors at Hygeia Hospital in Athens. Upon returning to Patras to start her residency, her Ph.D. research journey in the area of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) was also initiated. Her research focuses on understanding epigenetic changes in MDS during hypomethylating agent (HMA) treatment and investigating fetal hemoglobin (HbF) re-expression as a prognostic tool. As an IKY Fulbright Visiting Research Student, she will spend a 6-month period at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, at the Department of Oncology/Hematologic Malignancies, under the supervision of Dr. Karantanos. During this period, she aims to provide answers for the role of an HbF repressor, LRF/ZBTB7A, in MDS pathogenesis and disease progression, HMA resistance and HbF re-expression, using MDS cell lines and gene-editing tools. Hematology is a rapidly evolving field, where exciting breakthroughs in diagnosis and treatment continually advance our knowledge and practice. She views research and its translational aspects as a means of fulfilling her desire to make a creative impact on patients' lives. She believes that establishing vibrant labs, able to produce new knowledge is essential for the Greek hematology society. This experience will provide her with access to a wealth of knowledge and state-of-the-art techniques and it is ideal for her to conclude her thesis in a more comprehensive manner. It will also allow her to connect with experts in her field, promote the exchange of research ideas, and spark scientific inspiration for future projects.