BRENDON HERRING : RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY
EDUCATION & TRAINING ❚■
SCIENTISTS OF TOMORROW
BRENDON HERRING : RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF ADVERSITY
When faced with loss , many people withdraw from their passion ; however , loss fuels Brendon Herring , Ph . D ., an M . D ./ Ph . D . dual degree candidate at the O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and executive officer in the United States Army National Guard .
At 12 years old , Herring ’ s world changed forever after he lost his mother to breast cancer , leading him to relocate to his grandparents ’ home in Mobile . His grandfather , a senior non-commissioned officer in the Navy , offered Herring solace and instilled military values in him . Years later , after his grandfather passed , Herring had a substantial scholarship waiting for him at the University of South Alabama . He moved back in with his grandmother , now battling lung cancer , to care for her while pursuing his dream of becoming an oncologist .
During Herring ’ s first two years of college , his passion for health care and the military converged when he enlisted in the Army as a medic and subsequently earned his EMT
Despite his work ’ s demanding nature , Herring says Rose ’ s advice helps guide him : “ You have to show up . You have to do a little bit every day , and you have to be consistent . Tenacity will trump talent any day of the week .” certification . After leaving active duty and resuming his education , he found a home in the lab of Glen Borchert , Ph . D ., at the University of South Alabama , where he was drawn to Borchert ’ s work in genetics . Although unrelated to cancer , Herring gained valuable experience studying shark genetics and their ecological impact on the red snapper population in the Gulf .
In 2017 , Herring joined the UAB lab of Herbert Chen , M . D ., and Bart Rose , M . D ., where he currently investigates neuroendocrine tumor biology . In addition to his family , Herring considers Chen and Rose his biggest supporters and mentors ; Chen and Rose foster an environment of accountability with the expectation that Herring writes grants , presents research and expands his network .
Herring ’ s life was touched by cancer once again after his second year of medical school , when his aunt passed from colon cancer . Herring remained resilient as he pursued his degree , citing the women in his life as inspiration .
Looking toward the future , Herring notes some exciting developments with his neuroendocrine cancer research . His dissertation — focused on patients of European and African descent with tumors of the pancreas — aims to identify underlying genetic features that contribute to worse clinical outcomes in black patients . In 2022 , Herring received the NCI F31 award to further advance his research training .
“ The F31 was instrumental in giving me the space and security I needed to focus on my work ,” Herring said . “ I leveraged my experience with writing grants to help secure funding for the reagents I needed to run experiments , which will serve me well as my research career evolves . Additionally , the NIH / NCI extramural program gave me access to a lot of opportunities and workshops that are part of the fellowship process .”
Brendon Herring , Ph . D ., an M . D ./ Ph . D . dual degree candidate at the O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center and executive officer in the United States Army National Guard
Herring continues his military service , recently participating in a NATO mission to Romania , where he helped lead his unit , the 129th Medical Company , in a joint training exercise to deploy medical support of large-scale ground combat operations with the Romanian Army ’ s Medical Corps .
Despite his work ’ s demanding nature , Herring says Rose ’ s advice helps guide him : “ You have to show up . You have to do a little bit every day , and you have to be consistent . Tenacity will trump talent any day of the week .”
— HOLLY DUNN
SPRING / FALL 2024 | 15