CPRTP Summer Program Alumni
Cancer prevention research and meaningful mentoring relationships are the foundation of the Cancer Prevention Research Training Program (CPRTP). Our alumni play a vital role in advancing the research and education missions of MD Anderson Cancer Center, contributing to discoveries that shape the future of cancer prevention and control.
For more than 30 years, CPRTP has provided NCI-funded, short-term research experiences to undergraduate, graduate, and health professional students. What began as a three- to six-month training opportunity has evolved into a structured 10-week program, now known as the CPRTP Summer Research Experience, as part of the larger CATALYST is an umbrella program encompassing 18 unique summer research programs at MD Anderson for students pursuing advanced degrees and careers in cancer research. This transformation has allowed us to provide a more immersive, hands-on research experience while fostering long-term mentorship and career development.
Many of our alumni go on to become leaders in diverse fields, including academia, cancer prevention, biomedical research, administration, consulting, patient care, health communications, and global health. Their contributions extend across institutions and organizations throughout the United States, reinforcing our mission to train the next generation of cancer prevention scientists and health professionals.
Program Term: 6/1/2012 - 8/10/2012
Project:
Discrimination, Self-Rated Health, and Cancer Risk Behaviors Among an African-American Church-Based Sample
Primary Mentor:
Dr. Lorraine Reitzel, Health Disparities Research
During the CPRTP summer program, I learned the importance of primary prevention.
There are great benefits in promoting primary prevention in communities, and in doing so, we prevent people, particularly those of low socioeconomic status and who lack access to care, from being victims of cancer.
Past Summer Fellows: Alumni Photo Rosters
CPRTP Summer Alumni: Where Are They Now?
Alumni at MD Anderson
- Miranda Lee Baum, M.A., Supervisor, Clinical Studies, Behavioral Science
- Karla Crawford, M.P.H., Senior Clinical Dietician, Integrative Medicine Center
- Kpola Elhor-Gbito, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Epidemiologist II, Epidemiology
- Maosheng Huang, Ph.D., Senior Statistical Analyst, Epidemiology
- Lynn Keerikattu, Pharm.D., Pharmacist, Dept. of Pharmacy
- Associate Professor, Behavioral Science
- Altrivice Revis, M.B.A., Director, COO Operations, Office of Chief Operating Officer
- Stacie Scruggs, M.P.H., Director, Division Research Development, Office of the Vice President of Cancer Prevention
- , Assistant Professor, Pediatrics - Research
- Associate Professor, Health Services Research
Alumni at Texas Institutions
- Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Hematology-Oncology, Baylor College of Medicine
- Assistant Professor, Medicine - Epidemiology and Population Science, Baylor College of Medicine
- Assistant Professor, Co-Director MPH Program, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center
- David Lopez, Dr.PH, Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, Human Genetics & Environmental Sciences, University of Texas School of Public Health
- Assistant Professor, Biostatistician, Baylor College of Medicine
- , Associate Professor, Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, Univeristy of Texas School of Public Health
Alumni at Other Institutions
- Assistant Professor, Dept. of Statistics, North Carolina State University (Raleigh, NC)
- ., Gerald R. Gill Assistant Professor of Race, Culture and Society, Community Health, Tufts University (Medford, MA)
- Assistant Professor, Community and Global Health, Claremont Graduate University (Claremont, CA)
- , Senior Manager, Medical Science Liaison-Oncology , Foundation Medicine; Adjunct Professor, Biology (Nashville, TN)
- Assistant Professor, Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health (Boston, MA)
- Biostatistician, Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (Seattle, WA)
- , Research Fellow in Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA)
- , Resident Physician, Radiation Oncology, University of Miami / Jackson Health System (Miami, FL)
- Psychiatrist, Positive Psychiatry Private Practice (Seattle, WA)
- Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, (Division of General Internal Medicine at SFGH), Urology and Radiation Oncology, University of California San Francisco (San Francisco, CA)
- Assistant Professor, The Pennsylvania State University, Hershey College of Medicine (State College, PA)
- Sarah Rush, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Health Sciences, James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA)
- , Resident Physician, Neurological Surgery, Wake Forest University School of Medicine (Winston-Salem, NC)
- Resident Physician, Clinical Instructor, Internal Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (Cincinnati, OH)
CPRTP Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Alumni
Explore the career journeys of our CPRTP Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Alumni who have trained in cancer prevention research at MD Anderson. Our alumni have gone on to make significant contributions in academia, research, healthcare, and beyond. Browse our rosters to see where they are now and how their experiences in the CPRTP have shaped their careers (read more).
Summer Alumni Perspectives
"I came to MD Anderson with a closed mind about my research capabilities, but that changed on the very first day." -Henry Henderson, Ph.D., 2017
"Both of my mentors were kind and taught me a lot about research and clinical care."-Mariana Henry, 2017
"(Originally) Ortho looked the most tantalizing and I didn¡¯t think about Urology, GI, or Pathology! Being here changed all that!"-Noah Choi, 2018
"I've learned a great deal about myself and how I can make an impact in cancer prevention research."-Princess Ekpo, 2018
"(Cancer) Prevention is a mindset and by the end of the summer program, my entire view of cancer and prevention changed!"-Briana Brown, 2018
"My mentors provided guidance and helped me sort through the gray areas that arise when I set up my next stage career goals."-Dee Jordan, Ph.D., 2013
"The CPRTP has empowered me to pursue a career in cancer prevention with an emphasis on health disparities."-Siddhartha Roy, Ph.D., 2015