Bowman conducts cancer research

This summer, Jill Bowman is learning that everyone knows someone whose life has been interrupted by cancer, and that each of them has a story. Bowman, a junior biology-health professions major at Northwestern College in Orange City, Iowa, is working to fight cancer behind the scenes in her work as a summer fellow at Gundersen Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wis.

Working in the hematology and oncology department, Bowman is reviewing cancer cases from the past five years and collecting data about patients’ participation in clinical trials. She then will analyze the data and present her findings at the end of the summer. In addition to her research, she has also been able to gain clinical experience through shadowing opportunities with physicians.

Bowman explains that even though her work is sometimes tedious, there are rewards. “I’m looking at a lot of statistics day after day. I always have to take a step back and remember that each one of those statistics represents a person, a life that has been interrupted by cancer. Then, what I am doing is not about the statistics anymore, but about people, with the hope that what I am doing can someday help provide a new treatment option for someone who has their life interrupted by cancer.”

Bowman says her classes at Northwestern have prepared her for the rigors of her summer research project, teaching her the importance of persistence and hard work. In addition, she says her courses have given her the expertise she needs to understand and interpret the statistics she is researching, as well as teaching her how to present her findings in writing.