I am pursuing a research career that bridges the gap between translational and clinical research in health disparities with a dual focus on genomics and equity. My motivation is to improve outcomes for all children with cancer—particularly children from historically marginalized populations. My long-term goal is to become an independently funded physician scientist leading a multidisciplinary research team.
In clinic, I take care of children with leukemia and lymphoma. The objective of my research is to better understand the biology of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LL) for children of different ancestral backgrounds. I have done preliminary work in T-ALL which I will build upon and expand to T-LL, which has never been examined with comprehensive sequencing and ancestry. My goal is to prevent more children with these diseases from relapsing. Results from this investigation will lay the groundwork for my career as an independent scientist.