Education is one of the four pillars of UNMC’s mission and our students are the lifeblood of that aspect of campus life.
In UNMC Today’s Student Spotlight, we get to know some of these students, who will become tomorrow’s health care professionals.
Today we meet:
- Name: Chris Thompson
- Hometown: Macon, Ga. (Atlanta metro)
- Program/Year: (pre-med) Ph.D. student with graduation nowhere in sight
List three songs on your playlist:
- “The Less I Know the Better,” by Tame Impala
- “Feel It All Around,” by Washed Out
- “I Remember,” by deadmau5 and Kaskade
What sparked your interest in cancer?
I worked in oncology clinical trials after my aunt passed from a long battle with breast cancer. While I transitioned into my role, the hardest part to grasp was the huge public misconception in where cancer research is and what we actually know. Witnessing the struggles of the patients and their families led me to realize that I wanted to dedicate my career to advancing our understanding of the disease and contribute toward new therapeutics.
Your favorite study snack is:
Without a doubt, jelly beans.
Your favorite app is:
StumbleUpon (I had to move it to a new folder called “Time Wasters.”)
Three things people may not know about you:
- During undergrad, I studied marine ecology and Spanish. So after graduation, I almost moved to Puerto Rico to be a fishery population analyst.
- I really like to cook and have thought about going to culinary school one day.
- On the ground, I tell people sky diving would be awesome and how much I want to do it . . . on the ground. Once in the air, I would probably have a heart attack before I could throw myself out of a perfectly good airplane.