Shekinah Elmore

The courage to live with radical uncertainty

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About Shekinah Elmore

Dedicated to pursuing equity and empathy in oncology care, Shekinah Elmore is a graduating resident in the Harvard Radiation Oncology Program. She has written about her personal experience treading the line between cancer patient and provider in the Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine. Through her work, Shekinah calls attention to the importance of embracing compassionate care and coping with uncertainty. During her time at Harvard Medical School, she received a Fulbright grant to work with Partners in Health in Rwanda to explore the patient experience of cancer care. During her residency, she has focused on understanding and improving radiotherapy access in resource-limited settings and promoting pathways for resident involvement in improving global radiotherapy. She has published on these themes in the Journal of Global Oncology and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics.

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About This Talk

At 27-years old, Compassion-Driven Oncologist Shekinah Elmore was accepted to medical school and diagnosed with two different cancers, lung cancer and breast cancer. Despite all odds and in a period of grand uncertainty, Shekinah started medical school. Driven by her personal experience with a p53 gene mutation, Shekinah decided to become a radiation oncologist. Shekinah imparts on us that “a devastating genetic diagnosis means learning to live with uncertainty”.

Watch Shekinah’s Talk, "The courage to live with radical uncertainty," to learn how living with uncertainty can inspire moving forward with a fulfilling life composed of equal opportunities and equal challenges.


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