I have wanted to pursue cancer research since the third grade when several family members passed away after losing their battles with cancer. I first met my research mentor, Dr. Lotze, when I was a freshman taking University Orientation with Dr. David Fraser, who was a scholar mentor in the FHC at the time. Through this class, Dr. Fraser helped me narrow down a list of researchers at Pitt whom I would be interested in working with and send out emails to them. After searching both the Pitt and UPMC websites, I created a list of about 10 researchers whose research interests aligned with mine, and after reading some published articles for each of them, I narrowed the list to 3. Two of them had spots in their labs for me, but I ultimately went with Dr. Lotze’s lab because after reading up on cancer immunotherapies, which was his project at the time, I became hooked. The immune system has fascinated me since I first learned about it in my high school anatomy and physiology class, but it was the translational and clinical potential of utilizing the immune system to treat cancer that was new and interesting to me. 

For those who might not know where to start for research, I recommend starting by looking at the websites for different departments that you find interesting or think could be interesting. There will be a lot of faculty on these pages, so look at their blurbs and see which ones you feel more of a pull to. Before following this up by looking at their published work, I recommend looking on their lab websites to see if they work with undergraduates (especially if you are looking at the medical school or UPMC). If it looks like they work with undergrads, and you find their published work interesting, I would send a short and sweet email expressing your interest in joining the lab. If you are unsure of where to look or who to reach out to, Brett Say, the Director of Honors Research Programs, is a great resource to bounce ideas off of to get some direction. I’ve gone to him several times, especially when I was deciding which research mentor to work with.

Going forward, my professional goals include being both in the clinic and lab as an oncologist. By getting an early start doing research in undergrad, I have learned skills that will help me in medical school and my career when I conduct my lab work. It also gives me an idea of the type of research I would like to pursue, as I am incredibly fascinated by the cancer immunology work.