Isaura Otero
Isaura Otero, a first-generation Dominican American, is dedicated to improving the health of others.
That’s why she has worked as a promotora (community health worker) to help connect underserved Latinos to survivor care services, and is acutely aware of the need for access to quality health care.
Otero earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and psychology from Kean University, as well as her master’s in public health degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
Her educational experiences led her to apply for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which offers a five-day summer institute and internships to encourage master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career. She in hopes to gain knowledge and skills needed to successfully apply to a doctoral program and conduct cancer health disparities research.
The Éxito! Summer Institute gave Otero tools to become a better doctoral candidate and researcher.
She now has greater confidence in her ability to apply for a program and confidence she will do so in the next few years.