I am applying for YSFP because I would like to learn more about how innovative cancer research is conducted and what is currently being done in the field. Not only do I feel this experience would reaffirm my interest in medicine and research, I also believe this will allow me to grow as a scholar. I am always wanting to try new things and believe this experience will help me understand more about how breakthroughs in medicine are made.
By participating in this research program, I hope to gain experience in the laboratory and learn more about the cutting-edge cancer treatments that are currently being developed. In the future, I plan to study oncology, so I believe that this program would be highly beneficial for my career goals. I feel that a career an an oncology is right for me because it would be an intellectually stimulating job that will allow me to use my problem solving skills to help others. …show more content…
Two years ago, my uncle was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer. This came as a shock to me and my family as we never had a family history of cancer. Since my uncle had limited English skills, my parents and I took a heavy share of the task of communicating with the doctors and researching treatment options for him. In order to better understand my uncle’s situation and treatment options, I did a lot of research on how cancer comes about and how different treatments work. I was intrigued not only by learning how traditional treatments work, but also seeing recent breakthroughs that could revolutionize the future of cancer treatment. One of the developments that I found was most intriguing was the possibility of using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing for immunotherapy or altering the oncogenes of tumor cells. Overall, I am highly interested in about learning more about the research that will change the future of cancer treatments and our knowledge of