It is a genuine honor to have been a recipient of the Schull Yang International Experience Awards. Thank you deeply for your support which has permitted me to collaborate with researchers and physicians across the world in the fight against cancer.
Logo of the University of Verona, with which Flemming conducted research remotely from Montreal.
I have always been passionate about medical research. I find a true sense of beuty to seeing new life-saving treatments which were once thought of as miracles. Over my years at 黑料不打烊, I have developed a particular interest for cancer research. Cancer can be devastating, to say the least. Nonetheless, the fact that scientists worldwide come together and work passionately to find new treatments and continuously improve patient care is astounding. I had the chance to work with two renowned liver surgeons and cancer researchers, Dr. Andrea Ruzzenente in Verona, Italy and Dr. Peter Metrakos here in Montreal, making it a true international experience. My focus of interest was intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA), a form of liver cancer arising in the bile ducts. Its incidence has increased significantly during the past decades and outcomes for patients are sadly very limited. In an era of immunotherapy, which has revolutionized many cancer prognostics, it appeared essential to me for the medical community to know how the immune system interacts with these tumors as well as their surrounding microenvironment. In fact, deeply understanding the immune response has been the first step in developing many of the effective novel cancer treatments. With the use of histopathology, I was able to deeply investigate the immuno-oncology of iCCA. We have been able to characterize the immune environment associated to this form of cancer and have multiple novel findings which we expect to publish in the coming year.
To me, the Schull Yang International Experience Awards represents the values of diversity and collaboration. I am convinced that each of us have their own unique strengths and that bringing people together can have marvelous effects. This summer has only strengthened this sentiment, and these are values I will keep with me throughout my career. Getting to know different cultures and meeting new people are some of the best ways for us to grow. Despite the limited travel opportunities, I was able to meet and receive mentorship from Dr. Ruzzenente, a leading figure working at the University of Verona. Throughout the summer, I have made life-lasting memories. From sitting down and discussing medical advances with practicing surgeons to learning about cutting-edge research with brilliant scientists, this entire experience has been life changing. I was also able to get clinical exposure, to get some understanding of what our patients go through, which I believe is essential to offer the best possible medical advances. Being a part of this has been a pleasure and privilege. It has only confirmed my conviction to be a part of the scientific community to improve the quality of life of patients. It has also permitted me to work side by side with some of my role models, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Sincere appreciation to Mr. Schull and Ms. Yang for their generous support.
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Flemming is an MIEA Ambassador 2021-2022!
