by 
Share On Social!
Editor’s Note: This is the story of a graduate of the 2013 Èxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program. Apply by March 7, 2014, for the 2014 Èxito! program.
Sanae El Ibrahimi
Las Vegas, Nevada
Growing up in Morocco and traveling abroad gave Sanae El Ibrahimi a passion for learning about other cultures.
El Ibrahimi also is passionate in her belief that everyone has the right to health and well-being so that they can achieve their purpose in life, no matter what their culture.
In keeping with this belief, she obtained her undergraduate degree in business administration and a master’s degree in international economics from Mohammed V University (Rabat, Morocco). She is currently pursuing a master’s of public health at The University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Her devotion to the field of public health led her to apply to the Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training program, which offers a five-day summer institute and internships to encourage master’s-level students and health professionals to pursue a doctoral degree and a cancer research career.
After attending Éxito! Summer Institute, El Ibrahimi received extra encouragement and tools needed to take her next step to pursuing a doctoral degree and career in cancer health disparities research.
“The Summer Institute was an exceptional opportunity for me to meet other passionate [people] about serving the Latino community in reducing cancer health disparities,” El Ibrahimi said. “I learned that we all have special skills that we can bring to the field of research and community interventions. It was heartwarming to interact and network with other participants. It was also empowering to hear experiences and stories of the challenges and successes of professionals in the field.”
She added: “The Exito! leadership training and the internship project have become important milestones to help me reach my goal of entering the doctoral path.”
Éxito!, a program funded by the National Cancer Institute and directed by the Institute for Health Promotion Research (IHPR) at The UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, will select 20 master’s-level students and health professionals from across the nation to attend a five-day summer institute June 2-6, 2014, in San Antonio, offering research information, tools, tips, role models and motivation to encourage participants to pursue a doctoral degree and a career studying how cancer affects Latinos differently. Participants also are eligible to apply for one of five $3,250 internships. Apply here.
By The Numbers
25.1
percent
of Latinos remain without health insurance coverage
