Championing diversity and inclusion in neuro-oncology
In this interview we speak with Macarena Ines de la Fuente (Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, FL, USA) about opportunities for women in brain tumor research. De la Fuente also highlights the significance of mentorship and details her involvement in the Society for Neuro-Oncology’s Women and Diversity Committee, focusing on initiatives to promote diversity and leadership development.
What motivated you to pursue a career in neuro-oncology and how have you overcome challenges along the way?
What I love about neuro-oncology is the opportunity to combine a deep and strong relationship with patients, serving them during a crucial time in their lives, while also performing clinical and translational research to develop better, less toxic treatments. It is that combination of research and patient care that trapped me. I really enjoy coming to work every day.
Are there specific areas within brain tumor research that you see opportunities for more women to make significant contributions?
Through my role as co-chair of the Society for Neuro-Oncology’s Women and Diversity Committee, I have had the opportunity to see many female scientists and physicians thrive in our field. Thanks to many intentional changes in academia, scientific societies, and journals, there are many more opportunities for talented women, and it is beautiful to see they are taking them.
How important has mentorship been in your career? Have you had any notable mentors or role models who influenced your journey?
Role models, sponsors, and mentors, both formal and informal, have been crucial in my career. I have had incredible female role models in my family who taught me to believe in myself, work hard, and be committed to what I do. Dr. Lisa DeAngelis (Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, NY, USA) has been a mentor and role model in my academic career. I will be forever grateful to her. She opened multiple doors for me when I moved to this country 12 years ago with a newborn and broken English but big dreams.
As my role evolves from mentee to mentor, I am committed to providing trainees and junior faculty within our field with academic programs to develop skills – such as leadership skills and editorial training – that generally are not part of our formal training.
Could you tell us more about Society for Neuro-Oncology’s Women and Diversity Committee that you co-chair?
Since 2019, I have been part of the Women and Diversity Committee. In this Committee, I initially served as the leader of the community outreach working group and, more recently, as one of the co-chairs. In this role, I had the privilege to take part in the Diversity Strategic Plan Ad Hoc Search Committee to identify the best partner to guide SNO in designing and implementing a plan to establish a longitudinal pathway for increasing neuro-oncology diversity, enhance SNO leadership diversity, and integrate diversity across SNO programs and activities.
It has been an enriching experience contributing to some of the many initiatives the Society has implemented toward these goals. Lately, I have been working on setting the foundations to launch the SNO Leadership Development Program, with the goals of recruiting diverse voices to SNO, cultivating diverse leaders at SNO, and helping underrepresented minorities in medicine (URiM) develop leadership skills to advance their academic careers and serve our Society. This was part of the committee co-chairs initiatives. I just finished my term in this role but continue serving at SNO as the Neurology representative to the Board of Directors.
Interviewee profile: Dr. de la Fuente is the Chief of the Neuro-Oncology Division and Director of the Neuro-Oncology Fellowship Program, Department of Neurology, University of Miami and Neuro-Oncology Clinical Service Leader for the Oncology Service Line at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. De la Fuente is a graduate of the Neuro-Oncology Fellowship program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (NY, USA) where she served as Consultant in the Department of Neurology after finishing her fellowship. She is also an active member of the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) where she serves as one of the co-chairs of the Women and Diversity Committee. De la Fuente has been appointed by the President of the Florida Senate as a Member of the Scientific Advisory Council of the Florida Center for Brain Tumor Research.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Oncology Central or Taylor & Francis Group.
