Alumni Stories

Robin Lacour, M.D.
Gynecologic Oncologist
Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center
Greeley, CO

A gift for myself and my patients
Robin Lacour, M.D., a gynecologic oncologist and alumnus of the MD Anderson Cancer Center Graduate Medical Education program, loves to tell the story of why she believes the MD Anderson Cancer Network is “a gift for me and my patients.”

Read more about Robin's story, her work, her mentors and more.

Ashutosh Rao, Ph.D.
Chief, Laboratory of Applied Biochemistry
Co-Chair – Center for Excellence in Tumor Biology
Silvio O. Conte Senior Biomedical Research and Biomedical Product Assessment Service Expert
Office of Biotechnology Products, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
United States Food and Drug Administration
Silver Spring, Maryland

Adversity was his greatest teacher
Growing up, Ashutosh was influenced by his love of nature and fascination with all living things. His father, a veterinarian and toxicologist, inspired him to appreciate the complexity and wonder of living organisms and life sciences. His mother, a food scientist, studied ways to increase shelf-life of crops so farmers could better store produce. And alongside clinicians in the family, Ashutosh spent time in their clinics and witnessed the real impact they, as physicians, have on people’s health and wellbeing. Ashutosh was surrounded by many who were making significant differences in people’s lives and cumulatively those influences led him to pursue a career in biomedical sciences.

Read more about Ashutosh's story, his work, his mentors and more.

Cameron Tharp, B.S., RT(T)
Radiation Therapist
Texas Oncology
San Antonio, TX

MD Anderson is a family affair

Being the first college graduate in his family, Cameron Tharp, a Radiation Therapist for Texas Oncology in San Antonio, credits his father for introducing him to radiation therapy as a high school student.

Cameron’s mother and father both work for MD Anderson. His mother, Lynn Tharp, works in MD Anderson’s Development Department. A machinist by trade, his father, Kelly Tharp, is a supervisor in the MD Anderson Radiation Physics Department.

Read more about Cameron's story, his work, his mentors and more.

Kelsey Maxwell-Acosta, Ph.D.
Clinical Scientist
ExecuPharm
Dallas, TX

All roads lead to and from research

Kelsey Maxwell-Acosta’s number one love is marine biology and has been since she was a child. There is no definitive moment she can pinpoint that sparked her interest in ocean life. And today as a certified advanced open water scuba diver, she is perfectly fine being in the depths of the ocean and not be able to see her hand in front of her face yet on land she has a profound fear of heights. What?

So how did Kelsey’s love of marine biology lead her to becoming an oncology-focused clinical scientist? Finding herself at a make-or-break point for a career choice, she was torn between medical school or marine biology. During her pursuit she read about biomedical research programs and saw how this field would allow her to focus on endless topics, including medicine and marine biology.

Read more about Kelsey's story, her work, her mentors and more.

Aaron Emfinger, M.S., RT (R)(CT)
CT Technologist
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX

He loves those "light bulb moments"

Most people can cite an inspiration that contributed toward their decision to pursue their chosen profession. For Aaron Emfinger, a CT technologist at MD Anderson, his aunt losing her battle with cancer had a significant impact.

Aaron does not come from a family with generations of medical professionals. Yet he was always interested in anatomy and physiology, which led him out of curiosity to take some college X-ray courses to test his interest.

Turns out Aaron and Radiology were a good fit.

Read more about Aaron's story, his work, his mentors and more.