The woman grasped Yiming Cai’s hand, tearfully begging him to save her life from pancreatic cancer. Yiming was an undergraduate biology student at Fudan University in China, visiting the Shanghai Cancer Center affiliated with his university.

“I could only stand there, apologizing for not doing enough,” he says.

Now a fifth-year student in the Cancer Biology program at The University of Texas MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Yiming looks back on this jarring experience as the genesis of his commitment to biomedical science.

Determined to do more for the millions of people around the world suffering from cancer, he chose to study at MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences—drawn by its affiliation with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the highest-ranking cancer institution in the world.  

“If you want to do cancer research in graduate school, this is the place to go,” he says.

During his admissions interview for the school, Yiming met a woman outside one of buildings in the Texas Medical Center. She told him she had lost her husband to prostate cancer and that now her daughter was diagnosed with leukemia.

“She hoped we, as new researchers, could save more lives in the future even if we couldn’t save her daughter,” he recalls.

These experiences and others impressed upon Yiming the gravity of the challenge in overcoming cancer. It would require not only researchers like him discovering new treatments, but also measures to prevent cancer and spare patients from having to fight the battle.

During his studies at MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School, Yiming began posting a series of online videos to educate viewers on cancer prevention. He shares in clear, easily understood terms how to avoid everyday carcinogens, the difference between benign and malignant tumors, and the importance of routine body examinations. His videos have garnered hundreds of thousands of subscribers and over a million likes, inspiring some followers to pursue their own careers in biomedical science.

“One of my followers said that after watching one of the videos, he had his mom conduct her first physical self-examination. It found breast cancer, but luckily at an early phase,” Yiming says. “I feel deeply blessed to be able to help so many people in this way.”

Yiming says MD Anderson UTHealth Houston Graduate School has provided a collaborative and supportive environment for him to grow as a scientist, with faculty and staff who care about student research, career development, and mental health. He has also learned extensively about clinical research and the key ways it differs from laboratory science.

“Here, I can witness laboratory outcomes quickly transform into clinical trials that benefit patients,” he says.

Yiming received The Schissler Foundation Fellowship for his current year of study, an award he says reduces his financial burden while boosting his confidence to continue pursuing cancer research.

“It has also brought a sense of pride and relief to my family, knowing that my hard work is being recognized and supported,” he says.  

In addition to continuing his cancer prevention videos, Yiming looks forward to helping develop new therapies for soft tissue sarcoma—a rare type of cancer that develops in tissues such as muscles, tendons, fat, blood vessels, and nerves. He hopes to have a career in research and development at a pharmaceutical company.

“The school has given me tremendous opportunities,” he says. “I am excited about using those to help save lives.”