Investigating ELANE Gene Silencing in Cancer Cells

Presenter: Joi Kenner, Public Health Practice, Global Public Health Scholars

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For my practicum, I interned through the American Cancer Society’s Diversity in Cancer Research (DICR) program at Georgetown’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. I worked in a gastrointestinal (GI) lab studying the CCK-B receptor in pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis, using techniques like PCR, Western blotting, RNA extraction, and other cancer cell line techniques. As part of the program, we also participated in weekly lectures about various aspects of medicine and cancer research, as well as how the clinical trial process goes. In addition, I learned how to present my work effectively and with confidence, as my practicum and my experience in DICR forced me to practice reciting my findings in weekly lab meetings and present the results of my research both at the end of the internship and at conferences post-internship. As part of the DICR program, I had the chance to shadow the physician administering the clinical trials that I was currently working on, which helped me see how the work we were doing in the lab could improve the current treatments. The translational piece of the research, observing my work leave the lab and go to patients, was the most beneficial to my learning, particularly due to its impact on public health. During my time with patients, I noticed a gap in who was represented in those trials, which raised questions about how inclusive the research space is. The experience gave me very unique lab skills I had not previously encountered, but it also helped me think more about the public health side of medical/clinical research, especially around equity and access.