Diana Diaz: Pushing for Cancer Prevention among Latinos

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With a mother that instilled accountability, Colombia native Diana Diaz has taken responsibility to push hard for cancer control and prevention.

Diaz, a research coordinator at Moffitt Cancer Center, is already helping conduct trials in tobacco research and lung cancer. She wants to demystify the stigma of terror and language barriers that patients face in cancer centers.

Diaz applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals for a five-day Summer Institute to promote doctoral degrees and careers studying Latino cancer. Éxito! is led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio, with support from the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

“[Éxito!] has provided me with a more narrow focus,” said Diaz, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in public health from the University of South Florida. “That is, before my questions were all over the map, now I feel confident I know the exact questions I need to answer in order to purse my academic goals.

“It has also expanded my goals and views about cancer research. It has increased my potential network significantly and gave me a real starting point for my journey.”

Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2016 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply now.