Marina Mekheal, M.M., DO
Resident in Emergency Medicine at
WellSpan York Hospital
Born in Cairo, Egypt, Marina Mekheal has called York her hometown since she was just eight years old. She graduated from Penn State York in 2019 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, specializing in genetics and developmental biology. Today, she serves as a Resident in Emergency Medicine at WellSpan York Hospital, where she takes care of a wide range of medical emergencies and is skilled in handling critical cases in a fast-paced environment.
Throughout her time as an undergraduate student, she served many roles within Penn State York and the surrounding community. She participated in the Penn State York Honors Program, Graham Fellows Program for Entrepreneurial Leadership, and served as Lion Ambassador president during her senior year. In 2018, she received the Eric A. and Josephine S. Walker award for exhibiting outstanding qualities of character, scholarship, leadership, and citizenship.
During her time as an undergraduate student at Penn State York, Mekheal published her research titled, “Acute alcohol prevents the refeeding-induced decrease in autophagy but does not alter the increased protein synthetic response in heart,” in the journal, Alcohol. She also spent her weekends working as an Emergency Medical Technician at WellSpan York Hospital and completed an internship at The Penn State Hershey Medical Center in the College of Medicine — all while pursuing her bachelor’s degree.
“I was involved in multiple aspects of research during my time at Penn State,” Mekheal said. “It really shaped me as a medical school applicant. They are skills I still use in my clinical research during residency.”
She shared that the course she found most challenging at Penn State York was Honors English 30. “As a freshman, it showed me the difference between college and high school courses. It also improved my writing skills for my medical school applications. For me, the projects I did in the honors program actually helped me study better for my MCAT exam that I needed to take to get into medical school,” Mekheal said.
Mekheal was accepted into medical school at West Virginia School of Medicine in 2019 where she served as president of the Emergency Medicine chapter before earning her doctorate degree in osteopathic medicine in 2023. She was matched in Emergency Medicine at WellSpan York Hospital and is currently licensed to practice medicine in the state of Pennsylvania. She plans to apply to a fellowship in critical care or medical toxicology in the near future.
It’s not always about work for Mekheal, though. She shared, “When I am not working, I like to indulge in many different hobbies which include traveling, seeing family, playing tennis/pickleball, reading, and exploring new coffee shops. As I have gotten older, I have realized that bird watching really creeps up on you too. I am lucky to call York home again for at least another 3 years!”