Faculty & Staff Profiles

In college, I did my pre-med course work but majored in Spanish Literature and minored in Chemistry and Theology. After graduation, I took a "gap" year to study for the MCAT and work. However, that summer I was accepted into the University of Illinois at Chicago's Summer Enrichment Program in the School of Public Health. After I learned about John Snow and the 1854 cholera outbreak, I was sold! I found it powerful that there was a scientific field that focused on improving the health of whole populations.

In the United States, cancer is diagnosed in almost two million people each year and is the second leading cause of death. Prevention and treatment of the main cancers exist but they are not fully accessible to many people and so economic, geographic, and racial inequities arise. As advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer increases, the most vulnerable populations tend to get left behind. This is NOT inevitable. My line of work seeks to draw attention to these issues by focusing on structural and modifiable factors.

I received my undergraduate education here! It is at Loyola where I learned about the Catholic social justice tradition and it resonated with me. The commitment to human dignity, the common good, and solidarity with people who are marginalized has stayed with me since. I am blessed to be back at my alma mater.