“The largest crowd I've ever presented to is around 80 people, so being in a space with thousands of students, researchers, and faculty from all over the country was definitely nerve-wracking, however, my family, friends, and professors — especially Dr. Jin Park, Dr. Kate Moots, and Dr. Subir Ghosh — made sure to send me off with big support, which helped ease some of my nerves.”

She earned an Outstanding Presentation Award in her scientific discipline for her research project “Abdominal Posture Impacts Body Composition Estimates by 3D Optical Imaging but Not in Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis.” The award is a prestigious honor that recognizes excellence in research communication and scientific rigor among emerging scholars.

She completed the project as a participant in the CREATE Program at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center, an undergraduate training program to help meet workforce needs in biomedical, behavioral, and clinical research on cancer in the Pacific. The opportunity came up during her internship at UOG with the USDA-NIFA-funded NextGen COMPASS program when her mentor, UOG Professor of Biology Katharine Lofdahl, encouraged her to apply.

We weren’t just representing ourselves; we were carrying our island, our school, and the community that helped us get there. –Danielle Balmores

Over a summer with the CREATE Program, working under the guidance of UH Cancer Center research faculty John Shepherd and Jonathan Bennett, she explored the accuracy of body composition measurements, a critical factor in health and medical research. By examining how abdominal posture influences estimates from 3D optical imaging compared to bioelectrical impedance analysis, Balmores and her mentors’ findings offer insights that could improve the reliability of non-invasive assessment methods.

She said winning the presentation award has motivated her to keep pursuing research that can make a difference in health care.

“I have always been interested in medicine, but my summer research experience showed me how powerful it can be to combine patient care and research,” she said. “[…] Seeing how this work can support low-access communities, especially in the Pacific, inspired me to pursue an M.D.-Ph.D. so I can learn how to bridge patient care and medical research.”

While she was the only student attending the conference from UOG this year, she did cross paths with a former UOG student, alumnus Nico Valencia, ’24 B.S. in Biology, who is now enrolled in a post-baccalaureate program at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

“Having someone from Guam who understood the distance, the sacrifice, and the weight of being there made me feel grounded. In that moment, I was reminded that we weren’t just representing ourselves; we were carrying our island, our school, and the community that helped us get there.”