Marisa Simon

After attaining my paralegal certification at the University of Houston, I worked full-time to support myself throughout the majority of my college education. Having this early professional experience greatly enhanced my work ethic and autonomy as a student. Although I enjoyed law, I wanted a meaningful career that would allow others to benefit from my achievements. As a result of taking medical courses and performing molecular biological research at UH, I developed a strong motivation to pursue a career in the medical sciences. Preventative healthcare has always been a keen interest of mine. I believe that adjustments in preventative healthcare will be required to meet the demands of our changing healthcare system. Prevention should help lower costs, but it will not be a complete remedy. Unfortunately, the diseases that take the most American lives are also some of the most costly diseases to have.

Cancer is the leading cause of disease-related deaths in the U.S. next to heart disease, and it is also one of the most expensive conditions to treat. Since cancer manifests differently in every patient, using a personalized approach to cancer therapy is necessary. Through my career, I want to increase our understanding of the origins of cancer, devise novel personalized cancer therapies and help instill better cancer prevention standards. Ultimately, I hope that my efforts will decrease cancer mortality rates and lower the costs of cancer treatment.