Using a Wide Lens

MPH student takes a macro approach to cancer prevention and workforce diversity.

Kenneth Gibbs has covered a lot of academic ground since earning a BS in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in 2005 from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

He received a PhD in Immunology from Stanford University, focusing on the intersections of cancer and stem cell biology.

Then he spent two years as a Science and Technology Policy fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, working at the National Science Foundation.

Now he’s in the midst of earning an MPH degree at the Bloomberg School as part of the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program.

From lab science to policy and education to public health, Gibbs says that the varied experiences satisfy his thirst for big-picture thinking.

“I’m interested in macro-scale translational research, that is, translating research into policy and practice in the space of cancer control and health disparities,” says Gibbs. "The MPH degree is a good dovetailing with my science and policy background."

The 30-year-old Gibbs will spend the next three years at the National Cancer Institute working on population-level research and analysis of cancer-related health disparities.

He is equally passionate about the need to attract more students from minority and underrepresented groups to health, science and technology fields.

“As our nation becomes increasingly diverse and our world more interconnected, public health will need the perspectives of people from all sorts of backgrounds if we are to stay relevant and effectively serve the public’s needs,” Gibbs says.

 National Cancer Institute, Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program

American Association for the Advancement of Science, Science & Technology Fellowships