UCLA Journal of Radiation Oncology APRIL 2022 - Flipbook - Page 25
UCLA RADIATION ONCOLOGY JOURNAL
Talk to me about your childhood and
upbringing.
of their trust in their radiation oncologist
emphasized the tremendous role we play in
caring for patients with cancer.
J: I have always loved observing the world
around me, which is rooted in my childhood
that was filled with exploration and imagination
that grew from valuable unscheduled time.
Recently, you were awarded a UCLA Tumor
Immunology Training Grant (USHHS Ruth L.
Kirschstein Institutional National Research
Service Award #T32 CA 009120). Tell me about
this project and how the grant will benefit
your work.
I later became more involved in competitive
swimming, which taught me discipline and
commitment, which continue to carry me
through challenges and in the pursuit of my
goals.
J: This project focuses on a component of my
overarching research interest, which is how can
we reverse cancer-related immunosuppression?
What influenced your trajectory? How has
There are many approaches and, specifically,
your heritage influence your trajectory?
my focus is studying how radiation plays a
J: My trajectory is shaped by the people I meet,
role in this challenging scenario. Receiving a
including patients, colleagues, and mentors who training grant is an amazing opportunity not
help me apply my passions to bring positive
only for the direct funding that expedites the
change. Being Asian American has given me a
progress of our work, but it also serves as a
unique lens to appreciate the many different
platform to train alongside other like-minded
ways people may experience the world. I
individuals who are passionate in uncovering
bring this awareness and openness to all my
important mechanisms in tumor immunology.
encounters with our patients to help me better
I am grateful to the Training Grant Directors,
understand who they are as people and what
Dr. Michael Teitell, Dr. Steven Dubinett, and
their values are as they navigate their treatment. Dr. Dinesh Rao, for running this fantastic
Learning deeply about who our patients truly
program and selecting me to participate under
are is central in advancing care in a way that is
the mentorship of Dr. Anusha Kalbasi and Dr.
meaningful to our patients.
Dörthe Schaue.
As you enter your final year of residency, what
research and rotations do you plan to focus
on?
Why medicine? From medicine, how did you
arrive at Radiation Oncology?
J: Being a key player in the care of patients to
offer treatment options, guidance, and alliance
during a vulnerable and challenging part of
their life is one of the many things that make
being a physician a privilege and honor. I found
my way into the field of radiation oncology
during my PhD at Dartmouth when I connected
with a radiation oncologist over shared research
interests. He invited me to join his clinic,
and I immediately noticed that he brought
tremendous purpose and grace in caring for
his patients. To hear a patient and their family
member say they don’t worry when they are in
the Department of Radiation Oncology because
J: As a senior resident, I am looking forward
to taking a more nuanced approach in how
I think about treatment recommendations.
Participating in the care of patients has always
been a key component in shaping the direction
of my research interests. I look forward to
the continued development of my ongoing
projects studying how radiation can be used in
combination with immunotherapy to augment
the immune response against sarcoma under
the mentorship of Dr. Anusha Kalbasi and Dr.
Dörthe Schaue.
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