Felipe Souza Camelo, a 2015 Veterans Memorial High School graduate, is this year’s recipient of the Boston North Cancer Association’s (BNCA) F. John Bargoot MD Memorial Scholarship.
The $7,500 scholarship, presented at the recent BNCA 2020 Virtual Hope Begins Here Awards ceremony, is awarded annually to a medical school student who resided and completed high school in Essex County and has an interest in cancer treatment and prevention. The award was one of six scholarships this year, totalling more than $20,000 to individuals whose lives were impacted by cancer.
“I was quite excited and grateful, and I am honored to have been selected among other accomplished applicants of Essex County,” said Camelo. “I recall receiving the phone call and I was just in shock that I was fortunate enough to have been selected.”
Camelo graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a Bachelor of Science in biology with a Spanish minor. He was a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity and Blue Key Society, as well as acting as a residential advisor. While at Johns Hopkins, he volunteered as a bilingual patient advocate and also served as a medical scribe at Lahey Clinic.
He is currently studying medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College at Cornell University.
“As of now, our entire curriculum is online, which makes sense given what NYC has gone through during the pandemic,” Camelo said. “The course load is quite manageable and arguably less stressful than my time in undergraduate since Weill Cornell has a pass/fail preclinical curriculum, as most medical schools do nowadays, and an incredibly supportive environment.”
Camelo said he was inspired to pursue a degree in medicine began after receiving an MRI for tinnitus when he was 10 years old. After the MRI, his doctor spoke to his family in their native Spanish language.
Accustomed to translating for his parents, Camelo had met Latina nurses and healthcare providers, but this was his first encounter with a Latina physician.
From that moment on, Camelo said his goal was to “to empower patients within the patient physician relationship” and to improve cancer outcomes for minorities and low-income individuals in medically underserved communities.
As an undergraduate research assistant at Johns Hopkins, Camelo worked on projects pertaining to the metabolic characteristics of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinomas. He saw the challenges of both diagnosing and treating PDAC, developing a strong interest in gastroenterology, cancer, and preventive health.
While the presentation ceremony was held virtually, BNCA says it plans on conducting a live in-person ceremony sometime in May of 2021.
“COVID-19 may have us down, but we are not out,” said BNCA President Susan McCarthy.
“I think you will be as impressed with these scholars as we were,” said BNCA Vice President Kevin McCarthy. “These scholars have overcome so much in their lives and deserve so much credit for achieving what they have done.”
Lynn resident Kristen Santillan, a student at Emmanuel College, received a $3,500 Hope Begins Here Scholarship.
Boston North Cancer Association, Inc. formerly Lynn Cancer Association, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community resource. Founded in 1926, its mission is to fund and support special projects for the prevention, research, education and care of cancer.
