WASHINGTON — Kristina Demas, a third year medical student at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, was recently selected to receive the 2011 Medical Student Rotation Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
"We are extremely proud of Kristina and her receipt of this award,” said Yolanda Haywood, associate professor of Emergency Medicine and associate dean for Student and Curricular Affairs at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. “She has a long standing interest in cancer and its disproportionate effects on underserved populations, and this opportunity is a giant step in her determination to have an impact on these problems."
The Medical Student Rotation Award provides a unique opportunity for medical students to participate in 8- to 10-week rotations in oncology with a mentor oncologist who provides ongoing academic and career support. Recipients of this award are members of underrepresented racial and ethnic populations in the field of medicine.
The award is part of the ASCO Diversity in Oncology Initiative, funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure, that offer funding to physicians who commit to practicing oncology in a medically underserved region of the United States and to medical students with an interest in oncology who self-identify as minorities. The program is designed to address the lack of diversity in the oncology workforce and problems in access to quality care for underserved communities.
“I look forward to continuing in the tradition of excellence in oncological research and practice that ASCO and the Susan G. Komen For the Cure have come to exemplify,” Demas said. “The Medical Student Rotation Award will prove to be an invaluable honor as I continue in my pursuit to provide novel research and the highest quality of care to patients, particularly to minority populations disproportionately affected by cancer.”
