CAC: How did participating in the Congressional App Challenge contribute to your personal journey, career path, and accomplishments so far?

EB: Participating in the Congressional App Challenge (CAC) opened up many doors for me that I am eternally grateful for. The software development and coding skills I learned allowed me to work with a local clinic to develop an AI medical dictation system and work with the WKU Innovation Campus to develop my own AI platform for medical providers and submit a provisional patent application for reducing noise in a quantum computer. Being a part of the CAC strengthened my desire to go into the field of oncology, as my app centered around helping those living with cancer. I visited clinics and talked with patients, testing my app. I had the opportunity to work with incredible researchers and physicians at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. And I was a part of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s leadership society. The CAC propelled me into wonderful places with wonderful people doing wonderful work.

CAC: Try to remember back to competing in the CAC – what was your app about and why did you create it?

EB: My app is Cure, a comprehensive app for cancer, including information on the history of cancer and its treatments, frequently asked questions, a way to connect patients with oncologists in their area, interviews with a cancer survivor and oncologist to bring hope, and more. I conceived of Cure in August of 2021 when my AP Computer Science Principles teacher, Mr. Larry Correll, prompted our class to create an app using JavaScript on any topic of our choice. I knew I wanted to create an app that helped those diagnosed with cancer, inspired by my nine-year-old dream to cure cancer and my participation in Vanderbilt University’s Programs for Talented Youth Biology of Cancer Online Academy. For the next three months, I coded and designed Cure, taking it beyond the classroom. Ultimately, I wanted to create an app that would bring help and hope for patients in their time of need. 

CAC: What are you most proud of in your academic or professional career thus far?

EB: In my academic and professional journey thus far, I am most proud of being accepted into the PhD program in biomedical engineering at the University of Kentucky (UK). When I was nine years old, I knew my life’s dream was to cure cancer, as aforementioned. Although I didn’t know cancer comprised several diseases and not just one, I knew I wanted to help. I would see St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital’s commercials on TV and feel such a burden for the children and their families. So, being accepted into my dream PhD program to directly work on developing cancer immunotherapies for several types of cancer is the best thing I could ever ask for. Learning is my most favorite thing, and I am so grateful I have the opportunity to obtain my doctorate and live a life in service to the Kentuckians who poured into me my entire life.

CAC: Let’s look into the future – where do you hope to be in 2035?

EB: After receiving my doctorate, I hope to be running a laboratory with the UK Markey Cancer Center, researching cancer immunotherapies and early detection for childhood brain tumors and other types of cancer and sharing the stories of those across the state living with the disease. I also hope to facilitate clinical trials of immuno- and targeted therapies and early detection methods. Kentucky has one of the largest incidences of cancer, obesity, and other chronic diseases in the nation. It is my goal to give back to my state by working to develop greater and less cytotoxic treatments for cancer and directly visiting those struggling with the disease in rural and primarily low-income areas, like the town I grew up in. I also hope to be utilizing modern technologies such as CRISPR and machine learning to develop these novel treatments and uncover hidden areas of tumorigenesis and progression.

CAC: What excites you most about the future of technology and innovation?

EB: What excites me the most about the future of technology and innovation is the hope we can bring to people. Whether one uses such advancements for medical research or other causes, it is a privilege to be living in a time characterized by some of the biggest scientific and technological breakthroughs in history. Mankind has frequently explored what causes disease and imagined ways to treat it. At one time, cancer was thought to have been caused by black bile in the body. As our understanding deepened, countless pioneers dedicated themselves to uncovering the mysteries of cancer and joined in the fight to cure it. I now join them hand-in-hand. With the prevalence of AI, quantum computing, nanotechnology, and CRISPR in our modern society, we must be good stewards and use them to the benefit of those living with cancer, remembering our loved ones and friends who struggle with the disease.