Ryan Benavente
Ryan Benavente, BS
Chamorro
(He/Him/His)
Medical Student MS3
Harvard Medical School
Surgery & Clinical Trials
I am currently a third-year student at Harvard Medical School. I have an interest in the economics and broad-scale decision-making involved in improving healthcare systems, as well as the ethics and humanism that underlies every patient encounter. Currently, I am interested in exploring pediatric cardiothoracic surgery. My ultimate goal is to become a physician in under-resourced communities within Hawai'i and across the Pacific. Eventually, I hope to pursue widespread systemic healthcare change, focusing on distributing healthcare equitably and justly to all.
Hometown: Honolulu, HI
Undergrad: Santa Clara University
Medical School: Harvard Medical School
Hobbies: Mixed Martial Arts, Hiking and Beach, Cooking, Film, Music, and Literature
Congratulations to Ryan Benavente and Megan Gimmen on their publication in JAMA that discusses the nuances of "United States" data in the context of national health care economic burden and the importance of counting patients who are from the US-affiliated Pacific Islands. Their insight is invaluable to the Taparra lab.
The team published in JAMA Network Open a study titled "Racial Disparities in Cancer Stage at Diagnosis and Survival for Adolescents and Young Adults". We found that there are significant 10-year overall survival gaps among Indigenous Adolescent and Young Adults with the top 10 deadliest cancers in the United States. Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders make up some of the largest deficits in long-term survival. The findings highlight significant work to be done specifically for the Indigenous Adolesecent and Young Adult population with cancer.
