Maui High School graduate Phyllis Raquinio stands by her research project on the connection between Type 2 diabetes and cancer survival rates at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. Raquinio was one of 19 interns selected to conduct research at the center over the summer. Raquinio majors in molecular cell biology and will be a senior at UH-Manoa in the fall. University of Hawaii Cancer Center photo

Instead of enjoying a lazy, carefree vacation, Maui High graduate Phyllis Raquinio was hard at work this summer poring over cancer data, discussing how hula and physical activity can help post-survival cancer patients and learning how advertisements can play a role in the growing consumption of e-cigarettes.

Raquinio was one of 19 students selected and the only Maui graduate to conduct research as an intern at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center.

I did not know a lot about cancer and wanted to learn more about it to have a better idea on how cancer research is conducted, Raquinio said via email Sunday. I was surprised to be accepted in the internship, considering how competitive it was, but I was extremely excited to start working and helping expand my knowledge of cancer.

The UH Cancer Center is one of 69 research institutions designated by the National Cancer Institute. It started an internship program in 2004, said Yvette Amshoff, education and outreach coordinator at the Cancer Center.

While many of (the interns) are interested in careers as doctors, we aim to show the many opportunities in cancer research and how research is important to enforcing new regulations, clinical practices and cancer cures in the health setting, Amshoff explained.

According to the center, interns are chosen from public and private schools from across the state and the nation in a highly competitive process. This year, 19 out of 74 applicants were selected, with an average grade point average of 3.77. Program funding comes from the National Cancer Institute, the Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co. and the Friends of the Cancer Center.

Interns work under the guidance of faculty members and learn about new advances in research and technology. At the end of the program, each intern submits a project on a topic of his or her choice. Joe Ramos Jr., deputy director and professor at the center, explained that students can either explore cancer biology, which takes a look at the molecular mechanisms behind cancer, or population sciences in the Pacific.

Students like Ms. Raquinio who go into the population sciences in the Pacific projects are examining how the environment (what we eat, smoke or are otherwise exposed to in Hawaii) and our genes and behaviors interact to affect cancer risk, cancer progression and survival outcomes, Ramos said.

For example, Ms. Raquinio examined how having type 2 diabetes affected survival of patients with breast cancer and colon cancer. This is part of a continuing project on this topic. If we can understand these connections better, we can better prevent people in Hawaii and the Pacific from getting cancer or improve their survival chances.

Born and raised on Maui, Raquinio graduated from Maui High School in 2014. She said a few of her friends interned at the center last summer and encouraged her to apply. While her grandfather and a close instructor suffered from cancer, Raquinio said her interest stemmed mainly from the biology behind cancer. At UH, she majors in molecular cell biology with a minor in English.

Over the summer, Raquinio worked with Dr. Gertraud Maskarinec, analyzing data from a large, multiethnic population study in Hawaii. The study included more than 215,000 participants. Of that group, 5,000 had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer and 7,500 had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Phyllis was a very dedicated intern, Amshoff said. Learning how to use statistical software to analyze a large data set can be very tricky, but Phyllis caught on quickly, and now her findings are being refined to be submitted to a journal.

Raquinio said the study produced unexpected results but explained that she was still completing her paper and working to better understand the results before reporting them.

As an intern, Raquinio said she learned a lot from interns researching other topics and gained a better understanding of the process for clinical studies and why it takes a long time for treatments to be approved.

This internship has opened my mind to potentially pursuing cancer research, Raquinio said. It has helped me understand more about specific cancers, how biology plays a role, and the processes to conducting research for treating cancer.

Raquinio said she hopes to enroll in medical school after she graduates, with eventual plans to become a doctor.

Ms. Raquinio and the other students bring a fresh perspective and enthusiasm to the projects that makes working with them tremendously rewarding for the mentors, Ramos said. I am consistently impressed that these students come in with very little to no experience working in cancer research and quickly get their bearings and leave with a real appreciation for the kind of disciplined inquiry and experimentation required to make important advances in understanding and treating cancer.

* Colleen Uechi can be reached at cuechi@mauinews.com.

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Maui High graduate spends summer turning raw data into cancer research - Maui News