The TCPRC's very own Dr. Lucky Lara is named one of the Sacramento Bee's Top 20 AAPI Change Makers!

Read more at: https://amp.sacbee.com/news/equity-lab/representation/article282464053.html

Change makers push the boundaries, foster community and lead with dedication. They care for their community and strive to transform the world around them...

Background: The Manila-born Lara earned degrees in biology and medicine in the Philippines before immigrating to Chicago in 1992. At Rush University in Chicago, he was an internal medicine resident. He started his career at UC Davis in 1996 as a hematology and oncology fellow, and joined the faculty in 1999. Lara leads more than 300 scientists at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, which serves more than 10,000 adult and pediatric patients a year.

Impact: Lara’s research focuses on new ways to treat, control and cure lung and other cancers. That dovetails with his and the center’s community outreach to keep flavored tobaccos off store shelves and promote lung cancer screening programs for high-risk communities.

Plans: More widespread community outreach is a priority, Lara said. “We need to go out in the community and bring that information back to our labs and our classrooms so we evolve our thinking. None of our research matters if it doesn’t align with what the community needs.”

Best advice: ”The best advice I’ve heard is, ‘Be kind always,’” Lara said. “The ability to provide comfort allows you to be humble. For others, stop fantasizing and start planning. Put your idea on paper and it stops being a fantasy and it becomes a plan.”

Why a nominee? He is the first Filipino American leader of a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center. His work with community and academic partners to reduce flavored tobacco use in AAPI, Black and Latino communities helped to pass strong new local and state laws to stop its sale, said faculty colleague Elisa Tong.