Creating a Diverse Future for Cancer Research
Article Summary
- Matthew Clarke, one of 12 students in the Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) Internship Program, was inspired to be a doctor by a conversation with two doctors from his home country of Jamaica.
- DICR is designed to give college students from underrepresented communities experience in cancer research and to increase diversity among cancer researchers.
- Clarke joined a team that is trying to understand how the CREB molecule influences the metastasis of prostate cancer.
Growing up in Kingston, Jamaica, Matthew Clarke saw from an early age how dysfunctional the health care system was on his island nation. He watched his family, friends and neighbors struggling to receive the care they needed and wanted to do something about it.
But none of Clarke’s parents or grandparents had gone to college. He didn’t know any doctors or nurses and didn’t have the money to pay for college or medical school. He questioned whether he could ever become part of the solution.
Then, one day, his mother convinced two Jamaican doctors to speak with him. By the end of that conversation, Clarke finally saw the road ahead.
“I could see myself doing just that,” he said. “I always felt as though I was called to make a positive impact on the lives of others. However, it took me a while to figure out the way that I would do that.”
Inspired by that conversation, Clarke aced his high school classes, took part in a missionary medical trip to the Bahamas and earned a full scholarship through the Stamps Scholars Program to attend Barry University. This summer, Clarke was selected for the Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) Internship Program, which is funded by the American Cancer Society and run by Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Increasing Cancer Researcher Diversity
Launched in 2023, the program is designed to give undergraduate college students from underrepresented communities exposure to and experience in the field to increase diversity among cancer researchers. Twelve students spend the summer shadowing practicing physicians, conducting research under the leadership of mentors and taking professional development sessions.
Joseph Rosenblatt, M.D., Sylvester’s principal investigator overseeing the DICR program, runs the program with Sophia George, Ph.D., researcher and associate director of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at Sylvester and associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences for the Miller School. Dr. Rosenblatt said this year’s group excelled in every phase of the program and realized the impact they can have in their communities.
“A special aspect of the program was that the students were exposed to Sylvester’s efforts to address disparities and cancer problems unique to the communities we serve through field trips and clinical experiences,” said Dr. Rosenblatt, also professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology. “I think this made a particularly strong impression and imbued them with a sense of mission.”
Mentorship Provides Inspiration
Nagaraj Nagathihalli, Ph.D., an associate professor of surgery at the Miller School and cancer biologist at Sylvester, said that mission convinced him to become a mentor in the DICR program. After growing up poor in India, Dr. Nagathihalli said he sees himself in the young students selected for the DICR program. He understands the shyness they feel when facing a room full of high-tech lab equipment and researchers who studied at the best universities in the world.
“For these kids, I always tell them how important it is to work hard, especially when you have this kind of background,” he said. “You have to work more than the other people around you.”
Dr. Nagathihalli was Clarke’s mentor for the summer and he saw the same apprehension in the young Jamaican’s eyes. Dr. Nagathihalli’s team has been trying to understand how the CREB molecule influences the progression and metastasis of prostate cancer. Clarke, a 21-year-old pre-med major with no cancer research experience, was thrown right in the middle of that.
But it didn’t take Clarke long to understand the principles he was exploring and the experiments he was running. By the end of the summer, his presentation on the extracellular matrix and its role in pancreatic cancer progression impressed Dr. Nagathihalli. It earned Clarke first place at the DICR research symposium presentation.
“Matthew’s work contributed significantly to our lab’s research,” Dr. Nagathihalli said. “Matthew’s story is a powerful reminder of how resilience, determination and access to opportunities can lead to remarkable achievements. We are excited to see where his journey takes him.”
A Look to the Future
After everything he experienced this summer, Clarke hopes his journey includes an acceptance letter from the Miller School after he finishes his bachelor’s degree. But Clarke has even loftier goals in mind. The self-described entrepreneur and author also wants to earn an MBA to create companies or whole systems to improve health care throughout the Caribbean and Latin America. Clarke is encouraging his classmates to do the same.
Clarke noted that many countries are represented in the population of the Milller School’s medical students. Their impact would be exponential if each student returned to their home countries. Clarke’s lofty rhetoric earned him the nickname “President DICR” in his lab this summer.
Eventually, Clarke knows his journey will take him back to his native Jamaica. Now, he understands how cancer affects Black people and those of Caribbean descent at higher rates. He understands that Black physicians remain underrepresented in the medical field. And now, thanks to everything he learned in the DICR program, he feels he can take those lessons back home and fulfill his calling.
“I feel like when I get old, I might run for a position in the government as the Minister of Health,” he said.
Tags: Diversity in Cancer Research Internship Program, Dr. Joseph Rosenblatt, Dr. Nagaraj Nagathihalli, Dr. Sophia George, Equity and Inclusion, student research, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center