The very ambitious Miranda Reid, a student physician-scientist in the College of Medicine’s Department of Health Outcomes and Biomedical Informatics (HOBI) at the University of Florida, recently won one of this year’s four awards from the National Cancer Institute in support of implementation science. Because the other three awardees hold doctoral degrees, Reid stands out as the nation’s singular student winner.
As part of the all-of-government Cancer Moonshot program, the Consortium for Cancer Implementation Science within the NCI provides the $20,000 one-year awards to create practical tools that will be shared widely. Over the next year, Reid will develop and test a curriculum to help undergraduate students understand and apply community engagement strategies in health care.
Reid’s award follows the 2023 success of two HOBI faculty members who are completing the same award. Jennifer LeLaurin and Kathryn Pluta are preparing to publish results from their recently completed project on overcoming less effective practices in the control of cancer. All three conduct research in HOBI’s division of Implementation Science and Health Interventions, which is led by Ramzi Salloum.
Reid says that implementation science is not well known by undergraduate students. “It’s an exciting chance to grow in the field and to get students hooked,” said Reid, who holds a master of public health from Washington University in her hometown of St. Louis. At UF, Reid is pursuing a dual M.D. and Ph.D. in health outcomes and implementation science. She plans to complete the two degrees by May 2028.
Her project plans to create a mini-curriculum and a mentorship guide about community engagement within implementation science, with the intent to build the capacity of future leaders. Next year the curriculum will be piloted with mentors from UF’s Florida Health Policy Leadership Academy.
Tools and resources created from these awards are shared on the Consortium’s Public Goods website. Over the next year, Reid will also participate in the Consortium’s action groups and its annual working meeting.