When doctors diagnosed her niece with vitiligo—a chronic autoimmune skin condition—Joan Jacob, PhD, GSBS ’24, was still in middle school. Unsatisfied that her niece would need ultraviolet light treatments that could potentially cause skin cancer, Joan scoured publicly available research literature for alternatives. Now a graduate of MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School and a postdoctoral researcher at Baylor College of Medicine, Joan works to improve immunotherapy treatments for children with cancer. We asked her about her time at MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School and the endowed fellowship that helped support her education.