According to a UNESCO Science Report released on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, women make up 33.3% of researchers globally.
Thanks to a Pfizer program that promotes diversity and inclusion in the pharmaceutical sciences, first-generation student Alyssa Gomez is conducting research to improve cancer treatment at San Diego State University.
Through the Academic-Industrial Relations (AIR) Diversity Research Fellowship from Pfizer, Gomez has been working in the lab for the past year, researching ways to make medicines more efficient at targeting problematic cells and, therefore, more effective in treating diseases such as cancer with fewer side effects.
The AIR Diversity Program grants fellowships to selected candidates who work in an academic laboratory in areas such as synthetic organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, crystallography, computational chemistry, chemical biology, or structural biology under a professor’s supervision.
Selected candidates receive a $20,000 fellowship for research at their university during the academic year, which is disbursed via their institution.
The fellowship awardee is also invited to present their research at a poster session or seminar hosted at Pfizer La Jolla at the end of the summer.
Just a few weeks into working in the lab, Gomez fulfilled a promise to herself by presenting at a symposium.
Not long after, she presented at another, and a San Diego State University (SDSU) campus lab team nominated her for the Pfizer program.
Gomez expressed the importance of including minority populations in the conversation surrounding medical chemistry, as their valuable contributions can help address health disparities faced by marginalized communities.
Gomez’s parents immigrated from Mexico, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico. Hailing from Chula Vista, she enrolled at SDSU under the University’s Compact for Success program with the Sweetwater Union High School District.
Gomez eventually chose chemistry with an emphasis on biochemistry, driven by her aspiration to work in medical research.
She excelled in her classes, particularly enjoying the hands-on nature of chemistry and its practical applications in the lab.
First-gen chemistry student awarded fellowship for cancer drug research
How rising senior Alyssa Gomez is making her ‘STEM kid’ dreams reality while setting the stage for future generations in science
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— San Diego State University (@SDSU) July 7, 2024
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