Abstract: The goal of my project was to train a site-independent modified Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), U-net, using three-dimensional patient anatomical information and physician imposed metrics to predict the dose of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This approach exploits the relationship between voxel position and distance to planning target volume (PTV), with the assumption that as distance to nearest PTV edge increases, the dose intensity decreases. With this assumption, which it’s viability was verified by expert clinicians, we can train a network with less input data, helping to prevent the model from becoming biased to one specific cancer site. Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in the United States, and according to the American Cancer Society the probability of receiving a cancer diagnosis is approximately 1 in 3. A patient’s overall survival is affected both by where they live and by the physician’s experience. Many patients must overcome travel burdens to receive quality treatment at top cancer hospitals for the many weeks, months, and years following a cancer diagnosis. Through the use of artificial intelligence and knowledge transfer, even a small, remote clinic will have the ability to produce a high quality treatment plan, thereby improving the outcome and quality of life for cancer patients. Also, the treatment planning process time will be decreased significantly, as a clinical viable plan can be generated by the model to be fine-tuned by dosimetrists and approved by physicians.
What Does Research Mean to You? Discovery and innovation. In research you have the ability to create knowledge, what can be more exciting than that?
Tell Us About Your Journey Both my parents immigrated to the United States months before my birth. When I was born, we were homeless and we lived in a car repair shop. My parents always worked multiple jobs to provide for my three younger sisters and myself, despite their many obligations I have many fond memories of our family time. I think their work ethic and grit has really made me into the woman I am today.
As far back as I can remember, I always excelled in my studies. Even as a child I understood the sacrifice my parents made so that I could have a better future, and having good grades was my way of saying thank you. By the time I entered High School I was at the top of my class and enrolled in every AP class available, my favorite subject always being math. Unfortunately, I did not have the guidance I so desperately needed and I did not understand the purpose of the AP classes I was taking. I also did not begin preparing for the college admissions process. I had not even considered attending college. To me, college tuition meant another financial burden for my parents, something I thought I should avoid. I graduated from High School in 2009, with no plans to attend college. Instead, I job hunted as I knew I had to help my family financially. The August after my graduation, on a whim, I enrolled at a community college and to my surprised received a grant to cover my tuition. This course of action was not encouraged within my church community, and I felt as if I was breaking the law. Despite this, I did very well my first semester in college, while working three jobs, but at the end of my second semester both my parents became unemployed. With no hesitation I dropped out of school and began working full-time.
The next five years flew by, as I continued working to support my family until my parents got back on their feet. Then I met my husband, we got married, and in 2014 I learned I was expecting my daughter, Samantha. The first year of parenthood was very difficult and I realized how ill prepared I was to provide for my daughter. I did not want to her to ever experience the tension that comes with living in a poor home, and even though I knew the people in my community would frown upon my decision I returned to college. In the fall of 2016 I enrolled an North Central Texas College. It was not an easy transition, not by a long shot. I did not have the support of the people in my community, even my husband felt like my time was better spent on raising my daughter. By that point, I didn’t care what anyone had to say, I knew my daughter came first and I was determined to complete my education. In the beginning I only thought I would pursue an associate’s degree, but after enrolling in an elective programming class, researching the job market for a career in technology, and realizing how underrepresented Latina women were in this field, I completely changed career paths.
I began researching ways to finance my education, was invited to and joined Phi Theta Kappa and the Honor’s program at my community college, and begun taking transferable software engineering courses at NCTC. I received a lot of opposition from my friends and family, and a loved one even said I would fail. To them, pursuing a career in engineering seemed like an impossible feat for a first-generation college student with a newborn baby, but I was determined. I worked very hard. During the day I continued caring for my daughter full-time while working 30 hours a week as a nanny. At night I completed my online courses, and maintained a 4.0 GPA. My hard work payed off because I received numerous scholarships at NCTC, for which I am very grateful.
In the spring of 2018, I graduated from NCTC with honors. A month later I was selected as a UT Dallas Terry Scholar and received a full-tuition scholarship to complete my bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering. That summer I was also selected to participate in a 10 week research program fully funded by the National Science Foundation. At the conclusion of the program, I was selected to present my research at the NSF undergraduate research conference in Alexandria Virginia.
My first semester at UTD was amazing. I loved my professors, my classes, the diversity and inclusivity on campus, and the other Terry students made me feel like I was part of a family. A few weeks before the final deadline for the Green Fellowship program I met with Deb, as I was unsure if I was qualified for the program. One of the main qualifications is the intention of pursuing research as a career, which comes with the pre-requisite of obtaining a PhD. Five more years of schooling is a big commitment, and I wasn’t sure I was cut out for the challenge. Deb was very kind and generously listened to my concerns and provided the reassurance that I needed. I completed the application, with little hope of being selected, but began imagining what a career of research would look like. I met with several professors on campus and began exploring ways in which I could gain more exposure to the many labs specializing in Artificial Intelligence.
To my surprise I was selected as a Green Fellow and began working closely with my advisor and dean to obtain the necessary approvals and to enroll in the correct classes. I was unaware of the fact that I would be the first ever Green Fellow from the Erik Jonsson school, so there was no precedent on how I would receive the 12 hours credit towards my degree plan. After many weeks, many emails, and many meetings I received the green light and was placed in my top choice lab, the Medical Artificial Intelligence and Automation laboratory under the direction of Dr. Steve Jiang in the department of Radiation Oncology at UT Southwestern. I had no prior experience in the field of Artificial Intelligence, medicine, or radiation oncology but I hoped that given all the hurdles I had already overcome I would be successful.
The first weeks of the program were challenging, to say the least, but I felt at home. I was able to make significant progress and achieved more than I ever thought possible. I am very grateful for the support I received from Deb, the members of my lab, and my family. Now that it is all said and done, I am more confident that a career in research is for me. After completing my BS in Computer Science, I hope to gain admission into the graduate program at UT Dallas. I want to specialize in Artificial Intelligence and bring an new perspective to the field.
Advice For Future GreenFellows
Do not feel intimidated. If you have a strong interest in research and you are a hard-working individual, you already have a head start. I won’t sugar coat it, working in a lab full of post-docs, professors, and doctors is intimidating, but you have to realize that research is all about collaboration. Just because the members of your lab have been in their respective fields for longer than you have, does not mean that you cannot make a meaningful contribution.
The first step, however, is to familiarize yourself with your lab’s purpose. This is something I would advise you start doing at the time you are working on your application. Research the work being done in the various labs of interest, and read a few of their published work. You can then use this knowledge as leverage on your application, and if you are selected you will be ahead of the game.
Do not be afraid to reach out for help, everyone in the program is friendly, some are quirky, but they all have your best interests at heart. Accept the fact that this is a learning experience and with that comes feelings of frustration, uncertainty, and incompetence. Don’t run from this, embrace it. You are a student, and you are there to learn. That however, does not mean that you will not make a significant impact in your lab, you will. Only you can bring your unique perspective to your respective field of research.
Make sure you get plenty of sleep every night, because with the amount of learning and super-mega-brain-power usage you will achieve every single day, your brain will need quality rest. It would not be a bad idea to increase exercise and consumption of brain healthy foods. I am not joking, and your brain will thank you.
You will be surrounded by people who are just brilliant, and you will want to take advantage of every learning opportunity you can. If there is an opportunity, take a lunch break with some of the people in your lab and pick their brain, ask questions, and get career advice. There are no questions that are off limits. Everyone that I encountered is happy to share their experience.