Brittany Avin is a 12-year childhood thyroid cancer survivor and cancer researcher pursuing her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in the Biochemistry, Cellular, and Molecular Biology Program in the Department of Surgery. She was awarded a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship for her thesis work, and has authored multiple peer-reviewed papers, presented her research at national conferences, and authored a text book chapter in her field of study.
Avin has also served as a patient research advocate in a variety of settings. She is involved with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a patient advocate, including as a founding advocate of the NCI Technology Research Advocacy Partnership program with the NCI Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies program. She is an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research, and has participated as a patient advocate through the Scientist to Survivor Program. She is also a lead advocacy volunteer for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN). She has spoken nationally at various events to raise cancer awareness, including to Congress with the NCI director for increased federal funding for cancer research. She also was the face of the ACS CAN’s national campaign for passage of the Childhood Cancer Survivorship Treatment Access and Research (STAR) Act, sharing her story on the national stage for increased research funding and treatment accessibility for childhood cancer patients. She is committed to bridging the gap between scientists and patients for the betterment of cancer research and treatment.
