Katelyn Gelle

I created this research website motivated by my passion to find a viable cure for cancer. Like millions of others around the world, I’ve seen the devastating effects of the disease for myself—I want to make sure that that reality becomes a thing of the past.

I can most assuredly say that my strongest incentive for studying oncology was the passing of my grandmother seven years ago due to pancreatic cancer. Since then, I have attempted to keep her memory alive through my work, answering for myself the questions I had never understood at the age of 6 when she was diagnosed: what is cancer? How does it come about? And, most importantly, how can it be stopped? I remember my grandmother’s giving nature, her selfless character, and, what I have found the most encouraging, her inspiring perseverance. My grandmother had fought the disease bravely for three years before she passed, and it is this same perseverance that I wish to carry with me going forward as I embark on the path of research.

I remember one moment a couple of years ago when I was first considering which program I should study under; I knew that I would want to be able to learn the workings of malignant cells, and I kept this in mind when I found the Cancer Biology workshop that Elio Academy was offering. I had not known at the time that this would be my first big step into the world of oncology, and it gave me an opportunity to pursue all of the cancerous abnormalities and aspects that I had not been able to study in a classroom environment. After the program’s end, I was graciously invited by Dr. Juhi Ojha to participate in the Extended Research Program, and it was here that I was able to compile findings of various studies and analyze every hallmark, symptom, and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

The Extended Research Program provided for me not only an outlet to pour my unresolved thirst for knowledge into but also a gateway into the field of oncology—a kick-starter, if you will, that inspired me to do more for the cancer-affected community around me. Following the end of the program, I have since gone on to providing K-12 education in different subjects in order to raise funding for the American Cancer Society as well as awareness for those with cancer through the organization Tutors For A Cure. I am proud to say that I am making a difference through my work, though I know I will not stop here—my greatest aspiration is to continue and publish my research and to one day become a pediatric oncologist.

Lastly, I would like to once again thank Dr. Juhi Ojha and the Elio Academy staff for giving me this opportunity. I am so grateful that I was able to learn so much over the course of these months, and I will continue to work to bring all that I have learned to fruition.

Poster on the ACE2 gene and its connection to the COVID-19 virus (2022).