As a hopeful physician-scientist, my research interests center around translational approaches; emphasizing on bringing the research I do from the bench to the bedside. I’m highly interested in cancer immunology and cancer immunotherapy research that combines a systems and public health approach. I’m also interested in studying autoimmune diseases such as Lupus and MS and understanding how to apply methods of cancer immunotherapy to target some of inflammatory activity that defines many of these autoimmune diseases.

A full summary of my research experience is in my CV, though, I also want to emphasize and highlight the challenge of my research journey, especially as a first-generation, low-income student and a Black Woman in STEM. I’m very thankful for the PIs who have supported my journey, though there is so much more that the academic science world (and the non-academic world too) needs to do to insure that students like me are able to make careers in science accessible, specifically addressing and supporting efforts that are often led by historically excluded students like myself, to address the racial and financial barriers present in the path of succeeding in academia.

I look forward to using my experiences and my stories to grow and hopefully be an inspiration to other students who come from historically excluded groups in the sciences.