Hello! My name is Mario Robledo. I am a soon-to-be graduate of Troy University with a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences.
As an undergraduate, I pursued healthcare-related research opportunities, which turned into life-changing experiences. During my academic career, I conducted cancer research at both the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Troy University.
At UAB, I was part of a research training program in the Department of Surgery and worked in the Neuroendocrine Research Labs under Dr. J. Bart Rose, MD, and Dr. Rachael Guenter, PhD, studying pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors—a rare and complex form of pancreatic cancer. My summer research project was successfully presented to the Department of Surgery and led to an invitation to return for another research collaboration with Dr. Garima Gupta, MD.
With Dr. Gupta, Dr. Guenter, and Dr. Rose, I led a new research project gathering preclinical data for a chemotherapy drug combination trial targeting Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine Tumors. This research was highly successful, and I presented the findings at UAB’s O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center Annual Conference and the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.
At Troy University, I worked in Dr. Jacqueline Jones' lab, researching prostate cancer metastasis to the bone. My research was awarded grant funding from TriBeta, an undergraduate research honor society. This semester, I am presenting my research at three national conferences and participating in the National Council of Undergraduate Research, where I will meet legislators on Capitol Hill to advocate for undergraduate research in the United States.
I have decided to devote my life to studying cancer as a future physician-scientist. It is a devastating disease that has taken the lives of many family and friends, and my goal is to advance cancer research and advocacy.