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Ashley Dixon, B.A.
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Ms. Dixon was a trainee at NCI's Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program through the Introduction to Cancer Research Careers (ICRC) Program during the summer of 2006. During her internship, Ms. Dixon investigated epidemiological questions regarding gall bladder cancer in Native American and Alaskan Native populations.
Ms. Dixon is currently a medical student at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine and has a Postbaccalaureate Certificate from Southern Illinois University. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Yale University and licensure in Clinical Massage Therapy from the Soma Institute in Chicago.
Ashley Dixon, B.A.
How did your experiences at NCI influence you?
Before I came to NCI, I had only had a few experiences doing smaller-scale research. My work at NCI helped me to see that, as a clinician, I'm able to treat the few hundreds—or thousands—of patients I have the privilege of working with directly, but doing research can really have a much more wide-reaching effect on the community. Also, while there, I worked in epidemiology, which allowed me to see beyond just pure bench research; I was looking at how different forms of cancer affect different populations. It broadened my perspective of what's available in terms of ways to conduct research.
What was your summer at NCI like?
I was there for about three-and-a-half months, primarily working on answering epidemiologic questions about gall bladder cancer in Native American and Alaska Native populations. I did some statistical analysis and as well as poster presentations for some of the higher-ups at NCI.
Did you feel like you really got a peek into what the world at NIH and NCI looks like?
Yes! It was really eye-opening. In addition to performing my day-to-day duties, I got to spend a lot of time on the main NIH campus, sit in on lectures, and talk to other researchers.
Do you have a particular area of research you're interested in yet?
Before I went to medical school, I was trained as a clinical massage therapist; so I'd like to marry my interest in complementary
modalities with the more traditional medical training I'm currently gaining in medical school. I'm very interested in doing research on holistic and alternative health care, and how that might affect different cancers and musculoskeletal disorders.
If you had a classmate who was interested in research, what advice would you give to him or her?
I think a lot of students think research is going to be boring—just sitting in a laboratory
all the time. But there are so many different opportunities, and there are so many questions that need to be answered by intellectually curious minds. If your goal is to "help people," you can do that in a wide-reaching way through research.
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