There are many ways to support the UH Cancer Center in addition to making a donation . One way is to participate in a research study . The Center has various research studies that healthy individuals can participate in , including studies on breast cancer , colon cancer , exercise , and meditation .
For over 25 years , Earl Stoner , Director of S & F Land Co . and a former Friends Board President , has participated in the Multiethnic Cohort ( MEC ) Study . The MEC study , which began in 1993 , follows a group of 215,000 individuals over time to observe how members who develop cancer and other conditions differ in risk factors .
Early in the program , Stoner provided small blood and urine samples . Every five years , he answers a lengthy questionnaire about his health . Earl said he participates in the study because of its “ collaborative nature , the sheer numbers of participants , and impact on cancer research .”
THE MEC DATA HAS RESULTED IN MORE THAN 900 PUBLISHED SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES ON A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS INCLUDING SMOKING , DIET , AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY .
Monica McLaren , Director of Instructional Design at the Sullivan Family of Companies and a former Friends Board President , also volunteered for a Center study — Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial Study ( TMIST ).
TMIST is a clinical trial that will help the Center develop strategies to tailor breast cancer screenings to the risks of individual women . To participate , women must be 45-74 years of age and scheduled for a screening mammogram .
McLaren said , “ As a mother with a daughter and numerous nieces , I am excited to be able to do something that might make a difference in their and many other lives .”
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AND PARTICIPATE IN A STUDY , GO TO
Friends ’ Graduate Student Fellow Update
Zitong Gao , MMed , the Friends of the UH Cancer
Center scholar , explained her impressive work on tRNA-derived fragments in non-small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC ) to the Friends board during the April board meeting .
Also in April , Gao received a UH Cancer Center Travel award to present her work on six potential biomarkers for NSCLC diagnosis and prognosis at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in New Orleans , Louisiana , under the mentorship of Youping Deng , PhD . “ It was a valuable experience for me to introduce my research idea to others , as well as obtaining opportunities for networking ,” said Gao .
Zitong Gao , MMed