U54 Personal Statement

Personal Statement

Last summer I had the opportunity of participating in the U54 Sumer Research Program and it was an incredible experience, because it helped me in my professional development and discerns my future carrier goals. I want to return to MD Anderson Cancer Center, because it counts with a variety of physician scientists and physicians that integrate their clinical work with innovating research and this will improve my development as a future physician and researcher.

Being able to do research in my area of interest and having the experience of a clinical rotation in pediatric oncology help me diced that I want to become an MD. My actual professional goal is to be a pediatric physician specialized in oncology, orthopedic surgery

For this reason if I can do something to help them, I will do it. Furthermore, I also want to become a physician, because I want to go to places like Africa and Haiti as a missionary and give volunteer service.

U54 also help me realized the importance of physicians being involved in research because this could help in the development of new treatments or improve existing ones that can benefit more patients. Also, it could give a better understanding of the medical condition or skins. That is why even if I don’t want to peruse an MD/PhD or a PhD track, I still want to incorporate my clinical work with research. My research interests include: cancer biology, cancer genetics, immunology and molecular and cell biology. My interest in cancer biology and cancer genetics started also with the Cancer Genetic Course. I was amazed of how simple a normal cell can become cancerous cell and all the genetic syndromes, like Li-Fraumeni syndrome that

Nicholas Navin Laboratory. Where I helped his graduate student, Marco Leung in the research project “Investigating Cell Line Heterogeneity and Clonal Interaction in Breast and Colon Cancer Cell Line.” Understanding tumor heterogeneity and clonal interactions is of great importance in cancer research, because it can help in the development better diagnostic procedures and treatments for cancer patients. Dr. Navin increased my interest in cancer genetics, because thanks to him I learned more of the genetic processes involved in tumor development, tumor heterogeneity and metastasis. Additionally, under Dr. Navin’s mentoring I learn about cell culture, understanding heatmap and copy number profile. Furthermore, I improve my analysis, writing, and presenting skills. I enjoy my experience in his lab and the area of research that I worked in his lab would definitely be an area of research that I would like to work on in the