This month's Fellows Spotlight goes to Keystone Symposia Fellow Dr. LaQuita Jones! Dr. Jones is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, where she specializes in hematologic malignancies, targeted therapeutics and resistance. In addition, she co-leads the health equity efforts within the Division of Oncology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, examining the distribution of immunotherapy to children with relapsed/refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. "We are hopeful that our work will serve as a framework for other institutions to proactively detect inequities that could lead to major differential outcomes for children with cancer," she says.
In this Q&A, she shares what motivates her work and how the Fellows Program has influenced her career trajectory.
Find out more about about targeted cancer therapeutics, precision medicine & health equity in oncology in January at:
Precision Oncology: Emerging Technologies & Implementation
Featuring:
Briefly describe your research, why it is important, and what motivates you to pursue this area?
My laboratory studies novel resistance to targeted therapies in acute myeloid leukemia. This research is important because, while targeted therapies are important in the treatment of cancer, resistance is a known and important factor in the landscape of cancer treatment. I am motivated to perform this research because of the patients I care for and have cared for. In my opinion, people deserve the best therapies, and I believe one way to provide those is to understand the different factors that can impact outcomes.
All in all, patients and families motivate me to pursue this research.
What pivotal moment sticks with you from your experience as a Keystone Symposia Fellow? How it impacted you?
A pivotal moment for me was participating in the scientific advisory board meetings and seeing how much we were encouraged to contribute to discussions, in addition to the intentionality behind considering representation when planning the conferences. I also have found it to be valuable to meet with my mentor on a regular basis, where I’ve been able to get support and tangible career advice.
How has being a Keystone Symposia Fellow helped shape your career?
I have appreciated being able to interact with other faculty members of color through the KS fellowship program.
While I’m still developing relationships, it has been enriching to see the safe community that is present and the encouragement from colleagues in the program. In addition to the community, I have really appreciated the support of my assigned mentors, even resulting in them inviting me for international talks, which is important for my career development.
What are your thoughts on the importance of mentorship? How has your Keystone mentor influenced you and your career? How do you act as a mentor for your community?
Mentorship is imperative. I truly value mentorship, and I think we all can benefit from intentional mentorships. My KS mentors have been very supportive. I meet with my academic mentor on a regular basis, and he has been very informative and supportive. As a result of our conversations, I now have a better idea of how to effectively utilize the services of my administrative assistant (something that’s not often taught) and I am attending a new conference that could be important for the next phase of my career. In addition to this, through my mentoring relationships, I have been invited to give two talks, one national and the other international, which is very important for my professional development.
What is the most valuable thing you've learned from Fellow’s Fridays?
We have had several insightful Fellows Fridays. One that stands out to me is the one where we spoke about promotion and professional advancement.
It was encouraging and informative for me to hear from others who have climbed the ranks of academia.
LaQuita Jones, DO
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Division of Oncology, Cancer & Blood Diseases Institute
Member, Hematologic Malignancies Program
Co-leading health equity efforts within the Division of Oncology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Website: https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/research/divisions/o/oncology/labs/jones
Join us!
Precision Oncology: Emerging Technologies & Implementation
Explore that latest advances in personalizing cancer treatment for individual patients, across diverse ethnicities and backgrounds in January.
Find out more about:
Keystone Symposia Diversity in Life Sciences Program
Keystone Symposia Health Equity Initiatives
Keystone Symposia Fellows Program