In this Q&A, Steven shares how the program has shaped his path, the importance of Indigenous participation in research, and how returning to serve the community that once supported him has been both empowering and personal.
Steven Jump is a medical student at UC San Diego. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College in environmental studies and Native American studies.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your experience with the Winn CIPP program. What have you been doing this summer?
Steven Jump:
So I’m based in Seattle, Washington, at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Before going to medical school, I was working as a medical assistant at the Seattle Indian Health Board there. And so it’s been really empowering and impactful to me to be able to go back to a community that really helped me get where I am. They took me under their wing as an undergraduate student and then while applying to medical school. And now I feel like I have something to actually offer back for the first time.
While I’ve been there, I’ve been working with Dr. Dornell Pete, who’s the first Indigenous faculty at Fred Hutchinson. And so being able to be in spaces like a national cancer institute and know that I belong there and have a place there and that space is also meant for our community has been really empowering.
What we’ve been working on is a tribal cancer needs assessment, which has been a long time coming and, understanding that American Indians, Alaska Natives within the state of Washington have some of the poorest health outcomes in regards to cancer, but that there is change in those institutions.
That we are part of that change has been really exciting and I think presents a lot of opportunities to start addressing some of that.
Q: You touched on this already, but why does this work matter so much to you?
Steven Jump:
I think I mentioned that American Indians, Alaska Natives within the state of Washington and nationally have some of the poorest health outcomes when it comes to cancer and a lot of other chronic diseases. We can talk about disparities all day, but what really drives me is the resilience of our communities and our cultures and kind of the love that we share for each other and our people.
I think having experienced that love is something that motivates me to continue to address these issues. One of the things that we’re working on is presenting these from a strengths-based approach, and so really focusing on all of the things that make our communities so special and beautiful to address some of those disparities. And I think that that shift has happened really recently, and it is something that holds a lot of opportunity in trying to fix a lot of these problems.
Q: Can you share a bit about your background and how it led you to this program and its larger purpose?
Steven Jump:
Yeah. So I grew up in Ventura, California. My family is from Sallisaw, Oklahoma, and I’m a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma. Before medical school, like I mentioned, I worked at the Seattle Indian Health Board. I was a medical assistant there and then a public health associate for a little while. I saw firsthand the barriers that our communities face in accessing health care.
Being able to witness that within the data around epidemiology for our communities and chronic diseases was really impactful on me, as well as recognizing how little participation there is and in research within our communities really drove me to pursue a career in medicine and also within research itself, recognizing the huge opportunity that there is to use these tools and institutions to better the health of our community and help support a lot of our cultural values and teachings.
Q: You’re nearing the end of your Winn CIPP experience. As you prepare to return to med school, what are some takeaways that will stay with you going forward?
Steven Jump:
I think for me, being able to see the work that is being done at Fred Hutch, understanding that there is still so much work to do for American Indians and Alaska Native communities, but also recognizing that there are so many good people already doing this work . . . that’s been really inspiring and helped motivate me to continue my studies with the medical school and thinking further ahead down the road.
Maybe a career in research.
Steven Jump’s story is a powerful example of how the Winn Awards Clinical Investigator Pathway Program nurtures not only future researchers, but change-makers rooted in community and cultural identity. His work serves as a testament to the strength of mentorship and the promise of research driven by both data and heart.
