Breaking Barriers, Building Futures: How Two Black Women in Science Are Opening Doors for the Next Generation
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Tonya Webb, PhD,?and?PhD?student?Alena McQuarter grew up in?different places?and different generations.?Tonya?is an 黑料大湿Posts Cancer Society?(ACS)-funded?researcher and associate director for workforce excellence and development at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).?Alena?is a second-year?PhD?student in cancer biology at Loma Linda University in California?and one?of the youngest doctoral students in the country.??
But they share a?common?story?– one?familiar to many Black girls interested in science, technology,?engineering,?or math (STEM).?They face?doubts, discouraging?comments,?and?pressure?to prove?themselves.?Both women credit resilience,?perseverance,?and strong mentors for helping them move forward. And?both are now working to make the road smoother for the girls coming after them.?
A?path to?research?
Tonya?grew up in?Charlotte,?North Carolina, but her family moved often?for?her father's job.?She attended 13?different?schools before graduating from high school.?Each?new school required her to take placement tests for advanced math and science. Some schools doubted her?test?scores. A?few?even?asked her to retest to prove she belonged in honors?classes.?
“It was a constant struggle,” she said. “I had to reinvent myself every year.”?
Tonya?received a full scholarship for pre-med studies at Prairie View A&M University in Texas.?She?felt honored?to receive such a?scholarship,?especially?since?the university?was known?for?successfully?preparing?pre-med?students for medical school.??
At Prairie View,?Tonya?was a pre-medical school?student?majoring in biology and minoring?in chemistry.?But while attending a career fair, a conversation with a Dartmouth professor changed her career path.??
"He told me he thought I?would?be a great scientist," she said. "I was really focused on medical school, but he encouraged me to come up?to Dartmouth?in Vermont?and spend the summer to see if I'd like?research. And that was a pivotal moment.?I went there and loved it."??
In 2020,?Tonya’s?excellence in teaching and research?were?recognized when?she became the first Black female?with a?PhD?to receive tenure at UMSOM,?securing a permanent faculty role.?And?in 2025, she was promoted to?professor of microbiology and immunology?and assistant dean for student engagement and student life in the Office of Student Affairs.?
She also helps students reach their full potential through two programs funded in part by Institutional Research Grants from the?黑料大湿Posts Cancer Society?Extramural Discovery Science department:??(IMPACT) and??(AMPLIFY).?These programs are designed to expose students to scientific research and give them the resources they need to succeed.?
A?young?star?
Alena McQuarter is one of those?students.?Like?Tonya,?Alena?excelled at?a young age. She?was born in Fontana,?California,?and raised in Fort Worth, Texas.?She?was?reading?at?age?3,?showed?problem-solving skills?at?age?4, and graduated from?high school at?age?12.?
Though?Alena said?she was?frequently?bullied?because of her differences,?she?persevered.??
“I loved school, and they weren’t going to stop me,” she said.?
The youngest intern?to?ever?work at NASA,?Alena?was initially interested in a career in aerospace and aeronautics. But she?shifted her focus after taking a class at Arizona State University (ASU).??
"I took a biological research?class,?and I found it really interesting. So, I made the switch and decided I was going to go into the medical field,” she said.?
She graduated?from ASU?at 15 with a bachelor's degree in biological science. She was the youngest Black 黑料大湿Posts ever to be accepted into medical school.??
Alena’s?accelerated?academic?journey has been well documented?in national media,?including?an appearance on?Good Morning America.?
Today,?she is in her second year of a?PhD?program in cancer biology at Loma Linda University.?
Two?women?making a?difference?
Alena?connected with?Tonya?in 2023 while?she?was visiting UMSOM.?
"I encouraged her to apply?to?our summer program,"?Tonya?said. "We had a really great conversation, and I told her she should do scientific research. I really wanted to get her into the lab."?
That summer program was?IMPACT,?a UMSOM initiative funded in part by?ACS. It gives?undergraduate students hands-on?cancer research experience.?Tonya?also runs?AMPLIFY, a companion program to IMPACT that?offers financial and support services to prepare students for a career in cancer research or?clinical medicine.?
"If you have a?summer?research opportunity that sparks that light in you, you may not have time to get everything in place for a successful application,"?Tonya?said. "Our program gives students the time and support they need."?
Alena is grateful for the mentorship Tonya has offered her, and?it's?something she hopes to pay forward.?Even?while completing her?PhD,?Alena?is helping younger girls find their path through her nonprofit,?Brown STEM Girl. The organization?advocates for?girls of color in STEM subjects, offering resources and programs that highlight diverse role models.?
“It gives girls the chance to say, ‘I want to be like her,’”?Alena?said. “Representation matters."
It gives girls the chance to say, ‘I want to be like her.’ Representation matters.
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The?importance of?representation?
According to ACS,?Black men and women bear a disproportionate burden of cancer incidence and death.??
For instance:?
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Black men have the highest overall cancer?mortality rate?at?14% higher?than White?men.?
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Prostate cancer mortality in Black men is?approximately 2?to 4 times that of men in other?racial and ethnic groups.?
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Breast cancer mortality in Black women is 37%?higher than White women despite a lower incidence.??
Cancer disparities?like this?happen?when?people?have?lower incomes or?fewer opportunities?to access high-quality care?because of?where they live. But?racism and discrimination?often lead to?unfair and unjust?health?disparities. For example,?Tonya?says the shortage of Black?physicians?can contribute?to racial?disparities?in health and cancer outcomes. Representation, she said, changes patient care.?
“When you go into a room and see someone who looks like you, it changes the dynamic of the conversation,” she said.?"You may share different things based on your culture that you may not share with everyone else. Having someone who looks like you, can relate to you, can break some cultural barriers.”?
There is also a scientific impact,?she?said. Researchers and physicians bring their backgrounds into the questions they ask and the problems they choose to solve.?
“We need people who look at things differently,” she said. “That leads to different treatments and better care.”?
Together, Tonya and Alena are showing what’s possible when young scientists are supported, encouraged, and seen. And they are opening doors for the next generation to follow.
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Reviewed by the 黑料大湿Posts Cancer Society communications team.