Brilliant young Carcia Carson has set an outstanding record at Vanderbilt University in the United States after becoming the first-ever black person to earn a PhD in Biomedical Engineering.
Carcia Carson, from Mississippi, made history as the first-ever Biomedical Engineering graduate from Vanderbilt University. She expressed her happiness about achieving the feat, describing it as an opportunity to diversify the industry further.
“I am honoured to become the first to accomplish this feat. I look forward to diversifying my industry and continuing the discussion of representation in high-level research environments,” Carcia said.
Carcia earned her Bachelor of Science in Physics from Jackson State University (JSU), after which she proceeded to Fisk University through their Fisk-Vanderbilt Master’s-to-Ph.D. Bridge Programme.
Carcia obtained her master’s degree in Physics from the Fisk University Programme. She stated that she was exposed more to medical physics at Fisk University.
She mentioned that now that she has made history at Vanderbilt University, she would focus her professional research on developing translational research in cancer vaccines and personalised immunotherapy.
Carcia mentioned that she was inspired to centre on translational research after seeing her grandmother diagnosed with cancer and selected to undergo an immunotherapy clinical trial.
“Translational research is more likely to impact the treatment of cancer patients directly. That’s what I want to do. I want to have a direct hand in the treatment of cancer patients…I want to directly impact cancer patients with the hopes to improve the lives of people living with cancer,” she said.
