Lizeth Tamayo
Perseverance is the essence of Lizeth Tamayo’s character.
She came with her family from Peru to the United States at age 4, and went from not knowing how to buy school supplies to now being a graduate student and Susan G. Komen Fellow.
Tamayo is currently a master’s-degree student in public health epidemiology at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). As a Komen fellow at UIC, her research aims to better understand and eliminate health disparities in breast cancer.
Tamayo’s parents paved the way for her, making sacrifices and struggling with language barriers to give her a better life in the United States. Now Tamayo is paving the way for her cousins and sibling by excelling in school. Her strong passion to solve Latino health disparities and break down cultural and language barriers will surely help her family and countless other Latino families like hers as she continues to grow as a researcher.
To further her training and education, Tamayo applied for the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program.
The program, led by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio with support from the National Cancer Institute, recruits 25 master’s-level students and professionals each year for a five-day summer institute to promote doctoral degrees and careers in Latino cancer.
Tamayo now is very confident that her future includes more research in cancer and health disparities, and an MD/PhD.
“I think [Éxito!] has made me feel more sure of my choice to pursue a doctoral degree,” Tamayo said.