My name is Kareena Medina. I am a first-generation college student pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public health at the California State University Los Angeles. During my studies I learned about the health disparities and gaps in care that affect low-income communities and populations of color. Currently, I am working as an intern for MiOra and applying the concepts and skills that I’ve learned from my courses in a real-life setting. The project I am working on is centered around endometrial cancer and the health disparities among minority women.

Building public health career skills 

I learned that endometrial cancer disproportionately affects women of color, specifically Black women. These disparities can be attributed to many factors such as delayed diagnosis due to poor awareness of endometrial cancer risk factors and signs and symptoms, poor access to healthcare and affordability of care. From medical experts at GSK, I learned that people of color are underrepresented in clinical trials. Lack of awareness and poor access to clinical trials contribute to this gap and knowledge is vital for patients. MiOra develops educational material, and my internship allowed me to contribute to the creation of these materials to improve the health literacy of these women.

Overall, this project has given me such a valuable and enriching experience that I will use the skills gained in my future public health career. My long-term goal is to improve the health outcomes of communities by educating them. I want to provide the community members with the needed knowledge and resources so that they may prioritize their health and make well-informed decisions for their health.

Kareen Medina, 4th year Bachelor of Science, Public Health Student, California State University Los Angeles