SEATTLE, Wash. — The field of Healthcare and Medical research has done a good job of diversifying its ranks, but the number of Latinx people in medical research is lagging. In this week’s Healthier Together, a Latinx researcher at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle tells KIRO 7′s Ranji Sinha how she’s trying to change that.
Christina Termini is an Assistant Professor at Fred Hutch, working on cancer cell research. She and her team are doing critical work in the field trying to determine how cancer cells become cancerous. As a Latinx woman in science, she admits she often felt a bit isolated.
“I think about my experience as a Hispanic scientist growing up, not having role models and not knowing a Hispanic scientist until I was far into grad school,” Termini told KIRO 7.
Termini never thought compiling an atlas of Latinx researchers would break new ground, but she did it while working at Fred Hutch. The simple catalog: Inspiring Hispanic/Latinx Scientists | Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center could influence others of Hispanic or Latinx origins to go into science and medical research by showcasing those who are already in it.
“Oftentimes those individuals are not visible for the folks who really need to see them,” Termini told KIRO 7.
Termini hopes creating the atlas will draw attention and bring in more researchers from all fields, making the researchers and their hard work more easily accessible.
Dr. Nicole Saint Clair, Executive Medical Director of Regence BlueShield, knows that diversity can only help with medical care – and agrees diverse researchers are needed.
“We’re having more diversity to try to have the study populations reflect the country or community that would have that treatment,” Dr. Saint Clair said.
Termini knows that the Atlas can be a resource for people of all ages.
“Educators can use these resources to showcase scientists as early as in elementary school,” she said.
Fred Hutch cited a National Science Foundation report that showed from 2011-to-21 the amount of Hispanic and Latinx individuals in STEM only went from 11% to 15%. Termini says compiling this atlas could grow the numbers and make sure others in critical fields aren’t missed.
“We’re here and we’re not going anywhere,” she told KIRO 7.