Cassie Liu, MD, PhD
thecassieliu.medsky.social
Cassie Liu, MD, PhD
@thecassieliu.medsky.social
200 followers 1.1K following 29 posts
Resident Physician at Stony Brook Medicine @stonybrookmedicine.bsky.social | Alumna of UNMC MSTP #MDPhD @unmc.bsky.social | Passionate about #humanism, #AAPI, #advocacy, & #resiliency in medicine & research | Always learning, views my own. | She/Hers
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It certainly applies as a resiliency strategy in general! The steps build on each other so you can't have the next without finishing the step prior. That said, I consider 3️⃣ the hardest for me because that can be about believing in yourself & your value, especially when the future is uncertain.
Thank you!!! 🥹🙏🏽✨️ I'm so glad to see you here! 🤗🦋
And if you're asking "progress in what," let me remind you of our assignment: bsky.app/profile/thec...
#AACRdisp25 opened with Dr. Robert Winn's keynote, "Know your assignment" - a passionate call to action and sincere reminder to continue to do the strong, real, hard work to advance #scientificresearch in #cancerdisparities #healthdisparities.
Here is the message I've taken away from these conversations:
1️⃣Know the rules.
2️⃣Be flexible & pivot in how I approach what I want to accomplish.
3️⃣DO NOT be flexible or pivot from my desired outcomes.
4️⃣Make progress no matter what.
Thank you, #AACRdisp25, for this vital lesson in #resiliency.
But to be flexible in approach means that I change how I discuss, how I perform, the path that I take to achieve my goal - but the goal remains the same regardless of the external noise surrounding it. I now realize that flexibility & pivoting is referring to a strategy to engage #resiliency.
But what I have come to realize is being flexible and pivoting is about ➡️approach⬅️, not outcome. The outcome, my goal, what I want to accomplish does not change; to do so is to give up myself & who I am. I didn't realize before how strongly my idea of pivoting equated with essentially giving up.
I thought that being flexible meant that I needed to be flexible in outcomes, that I cannot always get what I want so I need to be flexible in who I become & what I hope to accomplish (outcomes). I think there is also external messaging that reinforces this interpretation (probably intentionally).
I have always been told to be flexible - & I thought I was - but after hearing from so many voices & perspectives during this conference, the words "flexible" & "pivot" have taken on a new meaning to me; I think I have fundamentally misunderstood what these words mean.
One of the topics of conversation was the idea of needing to "pivot." Someone shared the personal & difficult story of a trainee who decided to leave their research training path. For this particular trainee, it sounded like this was the right choice. 🧵 #academicsky #researchsky
#AACRdisp25 offered a session on professional advancement for #healthdisparities #cancerdisparities researchers, organized by @theaacr.bsky.social Minorities in Cancer Research Council. There were hard questions by researchers at all stages that reflected the difficult moment in #scientificresearch.
#AACRdisp25 is modeling for me the questions I have had regarding how to not only lead research ethically & with intention but how to listen, trust, & pursue research not for but WITH a community. The climb known as progress is endless, but the view from here is still taking my breath away.
The closeness & relationship I had with her & how we always met at @sabcs.bsky.social to discuss what research was really impactful to her fundamentally changed the way I wanted to engage with research & pushed me to consider how to incorporate community voices.
She told me about how seriously she took her role & quickly introduced me to her whole community(ies!) of breast cancer advocates. She tragically passed away from breast cancer, as did others I met in her circle. I still think about her today & I always will.
My introduction to patient advocates in research was at @sabcs.bsky.social, another conference held by @theaacr.bsky.social. It was my first international conference as a brand new graduate student. The first person I ever spoke to when I got there was a breast cancer advocate.
Even more, the patient/community advocates here also push themselves, constantly evaluating & asking how to represent communities even more than how they already are; they held a whole roundtable today around how to better advocate for their communities. #AACRdisp25
I am so impressed with #AACRdisp25 giving space, time, & honor to patient/community advocate voices. The closeness & respect publicly shown by the researchers who work with these advocates is clear role modeling for the scientific community in how to listen & collaborate with communities.
Dr. Winn urged, "Understand the rules & continue to make progress no matter what."

Of course, we know our assignment. Thank you, Dr. Winn, for this heartfelt reminder. #AACRdisp25
I am reminded, if you'd indulge me for ruining this moment with one of my favorite #DoctorWho quotes: "Goodness is not goodness that seeks advantage. Good is good in the final hour, in the deepest pit - without hope, without witness, without reward. Virtue is only virtue in extremis."
He reminded us, "Fear will paralyze both Facts and Faith if you let it." & he urged us to "follow the tradition of all great scientists...Keep [scientific research] moving forward."

"Your assignment is to show up every day & do the best science you can."
He reminded us that #healthdisparities #cancerdisparities #scientificresearch has persevered through even the most turbulent times, that significant gains have been made despite sometimes overwhelming resistance, that there are many who came before us who wrote the playbook for us to follow.
He reminded us to publicly promote the fact that our hard work has already demonstrated gains: overall cancer incidence & survival are on the decline regardless of racial and ethnic population groups, & one of our big challenges now includes rural vs urban #cancerdisparities #healthdisparities.
#AACRdisp25 opened with Dr. Robert Winn's keynote, "Know your assignment" - a passionate call to action and sincere reminder to continue to do the strong, real, hard work to advance #scientificresearch in #cancerdisparities #healthdisparities.
I'm so grateful to have received one of the 43 Scholar in Training Awards at this conference to be able to come present my work, learn from the experts, & network in this critically important space in #scientificresearch #cancerdisparities #healthdisparities #AACRdisp25
Come chat with me at A126 #AACRdisp25! I'm representing my work on rural-urban #healthdisparities #cancerdisparities in prostate cancer in Nebraska done at @unmc.bsky.social & also representing my new position as resident physician @stonybrookmedicine.bsky.social!
I hope to share the things I learn & am excited about from the conference as well! Stay tuned! 😁