MY LIFE Matters - Advocacy in Action - 42

Finding Purpose in Advocacy ADVOCACY FUELED BY PASSION
Much research
has determined
that the mortality
and incidence
of cancer rates
vary significantly
according to race
and ethnicity,
especially among
African Americans,
Hispanics, and
Asian Americans.
I was able to come back home to Texas
and continue my work in the cancer
genomics field at The Human Genome
Sequencing Center at Baylor College of
Medicine in Houston. I worked with yet
another group of amazing researchers at
the Genome Center trying to understand
the genetic and genomic landscape of
both adult and pediatric cancers, such as
ovarian, kidney, and colorectal cancers in
adults and hepatoblastoma and acute myeloid
leukemia (AML) in children. Technology
had greatly advanced to where we
can now find precise regions in the DNA
of cancer patients that were contributing
to their disease or how they would process
certain medications. My niece and many
others with this horrible disease were
always front and center, along with my
desire to learn more and more, so that I
may be that conduit of information to educate
and inform the patients and families
in my community. I had the opportunity
to translate study material, information,
and informed consent forms to Spanish-speaking
families with children who
had cancer at Texas Children's Hospital.
There is no better feeling than being able
to fully explain something to someone,
with an accompanying understanding
that you are potentially changing, or even
saving a life.
I was finally able to intersect my background
in science with my passion for
making impactful changes in the lives of
others. While I wasn't doing the science
myself anymore, I was certainly making
it my mission to bring it to those most
in need. I was afforded the opportunity
to start a clinical research program in a
healthcare organization, DHR Health, in
my hometown. My hometown is in South
Texas and located along the Texas-Mexico
border with a Hispanic patient population
of greater than 90 percent. Much research
has determined that the mortality and
incidence of cancer rates vary significantly
according to race and ethnicity,
especially among African Americans,
Hispanics, and Asian Americans. This
is largely due to factors such as access to
quality screening measures and quality
medical care with enough time to start
effective treatments, as well as streamlined
preventative measures. If we are going
to eliminate health disparities in our
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color
communities, it is going to be equally, if
not more, important for us to eliminate
healthcare disparities.
Clinical research was, and still is, quite
new to this area, with most of the community
with advanced diseases seeking
care in places like Houston, Dallas, or San
Antonio. Our health system recognized
the need to deliver the best quality care
to our patients at home, and providing
the option of advanced clinical care in
the form of clinical trials was a challenge
we were all willing to face and overcome.
We were determined to bring the most
promising and emerging therapies to our
community of the Rio Grande Valley, and
I am so proud of the work our team has
accomplished. I've learned so much from
my nearly 10 years in this role as vice
president of clinical research operations,
and my journey has been so incredibly
fulfilling. One of the most rewarding aspects
of my role has been building teams
of skilled and compassionate individuals.
42
MY LIFE MATTERS
ADVOCACY IN ACTION | FALL 2023
MY LIFE Matters - Advocacy in Action

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