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Inside Cancer Careers episode spotlights early‑career paths from engineering to clinical research
Summary
On an NCI podcast, three Stanford biomedical‑engineering alumni describe how they moved from early interest in biology to engineering and translational research; they offered concrete career advice—follow needs, be persistent, and allow time for exploration—and outlined plans for graduate study and clinical training.
The National Cancer Institute podcast Inside Cancer Careers devoted a large portion of a recent episode to career paths and practical advice for students considering STEM and biomedical careers. Host Oliver Bogleer spoke with three members of Team ColoTech—Gabriel Cyr, Shreya Garg and Kelly Lopez Sid—about how they found bioengineering and what they plan to do next.
Each guest described an early interest in biology and chemistry followed by a gradual attraction to engineering as a problem‑solving discipline. They said Stanford coursework and the biodesign capstone fostered a need‑driven approach: substantial time (they described roughly four weeks of focused need analysis early in the class and a broader 10‑week ideation period) was spent defining the problem before prototyping.
On next steps, guests outlined varied plans: one said he expects to apply to MD‑PhD programs, another is pursuing a PhD and is interested in academia and science communication, and a third said she is applying to medical school and is interested in oncology and pediatrics. They stressed that career paths can be nonlinear and recommended taking time to explore interests rather than feeling pressured to have a five‑year plan immediately.
Advice offered to listeners and students included following passions, focusing on needs that can help people, not being afraid of ambitious or ‘crazy’ ideas, and allowing time for reflection and exploration. The guests emphasized persistence: significant translational projects may require long timelines and repeated effort.
The episode also included a short segment called "Your Turn," where the guests recommended books ranging from historical fiction to works about AI in medicine and political history, and concluded with closing credits and NCI contact information.
