Profiles of Cancer Researchers

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Dr. Olopade is a hematology oncologist with expertise in cancer risk assessment and individualized treatment for breast cancer at the University of Chicago. Dr. Olopade is currently the recipient of several NCI grants including a conference grant from the Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, funding for a SPORE program in breast cancer, and support for a training program in Basic Medical Oncology at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Olopade received her M.D. from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and completed an internship and residency at the Cook County Hospital, Chicago. Dr. Olopade was a postdoctoral fellow in hematology and oncology at the University of Chicago.

Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, M.D.

What got you interested in research?
When I started my oncology training, I was frustrated by the fact that many of our patients didn't do well. I thought that the best way to improve my patients' outcomes was to do research.

Did you consider going back to get a Ph.D.?
Once I went into the subspecialty of hematology oncology, there was time for research that was built into the fellowship program. The more I did it, the more I got into it. I decided then I wanted a career that combined an ability to do investigative work, basic research, and taking care of patients.

What does your typical day or week look like right now?
I spend one day a week in the clinic, and then the rest of the time I do research and administrative work. During the early part of my career, however, I spent only one-half a day in the clinic and most of the rest of my time in the lab trying to understand the science behind my specialty.

You've done some recent research into the profiles of breast cancer in African American women and Caucasian women. Can you talk a little bit about what prompted you to do that research?
I practice on the south side of Chicago, which has a very diverse patient population. We were puzzled when we realized we were seeing a disproportionate number of young women with breast cancer in our clinic, and we wanted to figure out the reason. We started looking into it, and we've found that there are population differences in the types of breast cancer that people have. Right now, we ask every woman to go and get a mammogram after the age of 40, but what we're thinking is that we need to do a better job of risk assessment, including personalizing risk assessment in different populations. We want all practitioners to understand that every patient that walks in the door is a unique individual living in a specific community. Interventions to improve health outcomes should be targeted at both the individual and community levels.

Also, we're actually trying to see whether we can develop better screening technologies for early detection of the most aggressive breast cancers that disproportionately affect young women. These newer technologies include new imaging modalities, such as MRI, which don't lead to unnecessary radiation exposure to the breast, and yet are effective in detecting cancer early in young women.

Can you talk a bit about the role NCI has played in your career?
Their support through grant funding and the support I received through their minority scientist program within the American Association for Cancer Research exposed me to other investigators and to a network of superb mentors, which has been invaluable to my career. Furthermore, they've been the primary source of funding for my research. In fact, in my field, you can't really succeed in academia without NCI support because your career success is based on the resources you have to fund your ideas.

What advice would you give to a minority med student who has an interest in a research career?
The mentor-mentee relationship is really important, and they should really look for a good mentor who will be their cheerleader. It doesn't matter whether the mentor is black or white or Hispanic; students should be open-minded and realize they may have to go outside their comfort zone to find someone who's going to support their career.

Also, you have to have a commitment and a passion for the work, because there are no easy answers. Research requires that you be a lifelong learner and be prepared to give a long, sustained effort in order to achieve success.

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