Forging the Future Through Education

For trainees at Moores Cancer Center, mentorship, collaboration and rigorous research come together to support the development of emerging leaders in cancer research. Joshua Demb, PhD, and Asona Lui, MD, PhD, have experienced journeys to becoming faculty that illustrate how the educational environment at Moores Cancer Center prepares and empowers early-career researchers.  

Demb’s passion for early-onset colorectal cancer research was sparked during a pivotal moment at a national Fight Colorectal Cancer meeting. Invited to represent his mentor, Samir Gupta, MD, he was inspired by the urgency and complexity of the field. “Coming out of that meeting was so galvanizing… it just clicked. This is an area that is truly interesting, and there are so many problems that need to be addressed,” he shared. Under the guidance of Samir Gupta, MD, Maria Elena Martinez, PhD, and Lin Liu, PhD, he began to focus on critical studies exploring colorectal cancer risk factors and warning signs in younger populations. 

He credits the culture at Moores Cancer Center for fostering connections with mentors who supported his research and helped him secure competitive fellowships and career development awards. “It has been so valuable to just talk to people about their work,” he said. As he transitions to a faculty role, Demb aims to translate his research into strategies that will improve early detection and care using his extensive experience in public health and health services research, particularly on racial and ethnic disparities in cancer screening, to continue to advance the center’s mission of preventing and treating cancer. 

Another example of fostering growth at Moores Cancer Center is the first recipient of the Grillo-Marxuach Family Fellowship — radiation oncologist Asona Lui, MD, PhD. After a competitive application process, Lui had a unique opportunity to hone her clinical expertise in radiation oncology while immersing herself in the center’s vibrant research community. The fellowship is designed to support the next generation of clinician-scientists, which allowed Lui to work closely with two mentors: J. Silvio Gutkind, PhD, Distinguished Professor and chair of Pharmacology at UC San Diego School of Medicine, and Daniel Hollern, PhD, assistant professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences.

 “The fellowship was pivotal,” Lui explained. “It not only provided resources to pursue my research but also connected me with mentors who helped shape my approach to translational science.”

Today, Lui is establishing her own laboratory at Moores Cancer Center. She emphasizes the value of starting her lab in a collaborative environment, which allows her to concentrate on refining preclinical models and testing potential treatments for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Her goal is to translate these discoveries into improvements in patient care.

As both early-career researchers reflect on their respective journeys, they credit their experiences at Moores Cancer Center with equipping them with the crucial pillars of education, confidence and collaborative connections to ask clinically relevant questions and pursue bold solutions.