R ecent research by two students will help address inequalities in treatment and survivorship for cancer patients.
 
Graduate student, Kaitlin Van Voorhis, ’23, and senior public health major, Walker Brennan Rae, presented their abstract at the 16th annual American Association for Cancer Research meeting in October. They were the only non-doctoral presenters.

This conference is a flagship of the cancer research community where scientists, professionals, patients and advocates share new developments in research worldwide. This year, the meeting was hosted by the Walt Disney World Resort, and presenters spoke at the Grand Floridian.

Undergraduates and graduate students are not usually represented at the meeting; doctoral students and professional researchers are the typical presenters. 

“It was very rewarding to have our abstract accepted,” Rae said. “Even though I already felt like my work had paid off, because I learned so much throughout the whole process, it was like an extra pat on the back.”

The experiences after a cancer diagnosis are not the same for everyone, and some people experience a harder journey or worse outcomes than others. 

This is true for black men when it comes to prostate cancer, but it can impact that broad category of people differently. It’s especially true for Sub-Saharan African men who are immigrants. They are an understudied group who often have poor experiences during and after treatment.

Van Voorhis and Rae wanted to find out why.

“The research as a whole is super important. It’s research that hasn’t been published before,” Rae said. “There’s been a lot of research into prostate cancer in general but never subpopulations like ours.”

The research by Van Voorhis and Rae, with Dr. Ernie Kaninjing, associate professor of public health, identified changes in sexual and emotional health among prostate cancer survivors in their subgroup. Their research also reported changes in diet and physical abilities felt by patients being treated for prostate cancer.

“This research is looking at those disparities and the impact they have on these patients,” Van Voorhis said. “Hopefully, we’ll learn what we can do to mitigate that impact and get rid of those disparities.”

With the information they’ve studied, Van Voorhis and Rae will add knowledge to the body of cancer research. Ultimately, their work will help inform interventions for cancer patients, bettering outcomes for survivors and positively influencing patients’ behavior. 

Throughout their research experience, Van Voorhis and Rae worked closely with Kaninjing to learn sophisticated software, clearly communicate their ideas and prepare for speaking at the conference. It was as much a mentorship opportunity as it was for research. 

“Words cannot describe how grateful I am—it’s mind-blowing every day,” Van Voorhis said. “Dr. Kaninjing is someone that I respect and admire so much.”

“As hard as Brennan and I worked as undergrads to get this abstract published, we could not have done it without Dr. Kaninjing backing us,” she said.

Rae will graduate in the spring. Van Voorhis has begun a graduate assistant position with Kaninjing where she’ll continue the work they’ve started. Now a Master of Health Promotion student, Van Voorhis’ experience with research techniques will prove invaluable. 

“I definitely feel more prepared, even though I’m still learning things,” Van Voorhis said. “It’s been a while since I got to hone soft skills like communication with a team. I’m really thankful for that.”

“It makes me giddy, how amazing this opportunity is,” she said. “I’m going to get my master’s while helping with this groundbreaking research—that’s insane.”