Ten students from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign had the unique opportunity to present at the 2025 International Cancer Education Conference (ICEC), a national forum that brings together researchers, educators, health professionals, students, and more.
The opportunity was thanks in large part to efforts from the Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) team. CRTEC is building mentorship pipelines that support students from their first exposure to cancer research all the way through advanced professional development. One of the ways this is being done is by supporting undergraduate abstract submissions and presentations at national conferences like ICEC. Mentorship is provided through every stage of the process and CRTEC provides funding support for travel and registration, helping students share their work on a national stage.
“Working with the students who presented at ICEC was incredibly rewarding,” said CCIL Educational Programs Manager Stephanie Dietrich. “They all brought a high level of curiosity, professionalism, and dedication to their projects. For many of them, this was their first time presenting at a professional conference. Watching them grow as science communicators and seeing their confidence develop as they shared their work with a national audience was a highlight of the experience. We are so proud of each of them and are grateful to have had the opportunity to support their journey.”
Student presenters included: Matt Beard, Michael Depasquale, Andrew Hilario Loarte, Myra Kamdar, Sydney Kirages, Jackson Kohls, Samir Kurudi, Fiona O’Brien, Patrick Selby, and Natalie Smith.
“The best part was networking and connecting with other like-minded peers, students, and faculty members,” said Samir Kurudi, a bioengineering student who presented a literary review on engineering solutions for nutrition disparities and their relationship to cancer care. “It was really nice to network and have one-on-one talks with different professors.”
“My project was on veterans and how veterans tend to reside in more rural areas but are also more likely to have cancer, due to the carcinogens they may have been exposed to,” said Sydney Kirages. “I focused on how we can increase education for veterans and their families, so they have access to information about screenings and testing for cancer.”
In addition to sharing their research and listening to a variety of speakers in the cancer space, students appreciated the chance to bond with each other outside of campus. “I got to learn how they’re managing being pre-med or in bioengineering, balancing all the classes and clubs they’re involved in,” said Kirages. “I think it was a really great opportunity to meet a lot of people who are at different points in their lives. I really enjoyed getting to step away from the school environment and learn while also having a really fun time.”
Back row: Patrick Selby, Samir Kurudi, Sydney Kirages, Jackson Kohls, Michael Depasquale, Matt Beard
Front row: Andrew Hilario Loarte, Fiona O’Brien, Myra Kamdar, Natalie Smith
Editor’s Note:
This article was written by Florence Lin, CCIL Communications Intern.