Julianne Pollard-Larkin facts for kids

Julianne Pollard-Larkin is an amazing American scientist. She is a medical physicist who helps people with cancer. She works as a professor at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. She also helps lead a special team there that focuses on radiation Oncology. This means she works with radiation to treat diseases like cancer. She is also a leader in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM). She helps make sure everyone feels welcome in the field of physics.

Julianne Pollard-Larkin's Early Life and Education

Julianne Pollard-Larkin grew up in Miami, Florida. Her mom was a teacher and her dad was an Army lieutenant. She loved science even when she was a kid. When she was eleven, she saw a picture of NASA astronaut Mae Jemison. This made her very interested in space and science.

She went to the University of Miami. There, she studied two subjects: Physics and Mathematics. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree. Towards the end of her studies, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. Julianne went with her mom to radiation therapy. There, she met a medical physicist. This is how she learned about this important job.

After that, she decided to become a medical physicist. She went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). She made history there! She was the first African American woman to earn her PhD in Biomedical Physics. For her PhD, she studied how certain medicines could help cells from patients with a rare genetic problem. This problem made them very sensitive to radiation.

Her Amazing Career

After finishing her PhD in 2008, Dr. Pollard-Larkin started working. She began her training at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. This is a big hospital in Houston, Texas. In 2010, she became an instructor there. She taught others about radiation physics.

In 2012, she became an assistant professor. This means she teaches and does research. In 2011, she also became certified by the American Board of Radiology. This shows she is an expert in her field. In 2019, she was promoted to associate professor. She continues to help patients and teach new scientists.

Her Life in Houston

Julianne Pollard-Larkin lives in Houston, Texas. She is also a mother.