For Shannon Wu (’23), two of the best aspects of CCLCM are the collaborative environment and the mentorship that has supported her throughout her five years in the program. While this wasn’t what initially drew her to CCLCM — the five-year research component was most appealing — she feels like she always had support no matter how her interests shifted or where her studies took her.
Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Shannon attended UC Berkeley where she studied molecular and cell biology. While at UC Berkeley, she found a true passion for cancer biology research and working in the lab, and she wanted to find a medical school where she would be able to incorporate that passion into her coursework.
CCLCM was the perfect fit. The research blocks were essentially built into her schedule, and she felt a strong sense of community from the start. The collaborative environment surrounded her with people who were passionate about similar research, which really helped her to feel at home among her peers. In addition, the curriculum helped complement her own training as well as gave her the skills to be an effective independent researcher.
This past year, Shannon enjoyed focusing her thesis project on the immunomodulatory roles of VEGF in anaplastic thyroid cancer in the lab of Timothy Chan, MD, at Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Immunotherapy & Precision Immuno-Oncology (CITI).
When asked about the move to Ohio to attend CCLCM, Shannon laughs. “I really like experiencing all the seasons here. It’s really made me appreciate the sunny weather I had in California; I used to take it for granted!”
During her five years at CCLCM, Shannon has had the chance to explore her options and decide that she wants to specialize in otolaryngology. While she did not expect to be studying this when she first started medical school, she says that it’s the “perfect blend” of everything she was looking for within her specialty.
“Seeing a patient come out of surgery and being able to see the effect at the follow-up appointment — seeing them be able to speak and swallow — is really incredible. It’s genuinely so rewarding,” she says.
Looking toward the future, Shannon aspires to become a translational surgeon scientist who can toggle between being an excellent clinician and surgeon in the OR and an independent researcher in her own right.
One of the highlights of her medical student career was contributing to a project that was awarded a Velosano 8 Pilot Grant. Shannon assisted in writing a proposal on using machine learning to detect early onset breast cancer-related lymphedema in patients who had breast cancer surgery, and the proposal was chosen for grant funding.
“It was such a rewarding experience to watch the project blossom from the beginning and see that our idea was interesting enough to garner attention for the grant,” she says.
When asked about what advice she would give to prospective CCLCM students, Shannon says to keep an open mind and to reach out to your community.
“Whatever you’re curious about, there’s someone out there who is willing to teach you all about it. I feel like a lot of the learning I value from my time at CCLCM was done through reaching out to people. Sending that email and meeting up with someone can be a great opportunity just waiting to happen!”
Outside of her studies, Shannon found a love for cycling when she moved to Cleveland. In fact, one day she “accidentally” biked 50 miles through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. “I was so distracted by how gorgeous it was, I didn’t realize how far I’d biked!”