In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the National Cancer Act, Dr. John Onofrey shares his motivation for pursuing a career in cancer research:
What inspires you to work in cancer research?
Cancer is a universal health problem that affects not just patients but also their entire families. Computer programs based on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning allow for combining diverse modalities to attack the problem in novel and insightful ways.
Why is diversity important to the workforce and the work you do?
Diversity in data is critical for creating successful machine learning applications. It is the same in cancer research. Optimal solutions cannot be found from looking at one set of data. One must have diverse samples that are representative of life. Diversity in the workforce introduces a wide range of potential solutions to address our challenges. By combining these complementary ideas, viewpoints, and experiences, we can come up with better solutions.
What do you think the future holds for cancer research? Machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) will provide a useful tool for early detection of cancer, for better diagnosis of cancer, and for more precise treatment decisions.
What message do you have for your counterparts in cancer research?
Let's work together to combine our expertises in different areas to brainstorm for new ways to approach our challenges and determine the best care for patients.
Each individual in the oncology workforce has a unique and impactful story about why they work in cancer research. The National Cancer Institute invites you to share your story of what drives you to work in cancer research and has developed the hashtags #ThisIsWhy and #NothingWillStopUs. Together, let's inspire the next generation of diverse talent to join us in the fight to end cancer as we know it!