Interns from the CREATE Program recently gave poster presentations on their research. They have been conducting research for the last 2 months, under the mentorship and supervision of faculty members from the Cancer Center’s Cancer Biology and Population Sciences in the Pacific programs. This poster session gave the UH Cancer Center faculty and staff the opportunity to learn more about the students’ research projects and interests.
This year, SRL was fortunate to have Zhantelle Beltran, a senior at the University of Guam studying Biology, join the group for the duration of the program. She was brought on for a special project that explored Trinny & Susannah’s Body Shape Bible in the research context. The Body Shape Bible classifies the female human body into shapes, such as apple, bell, and brick. These are based on body features with descriptions such as, “broad shoulders,” or “large calves.”
The objective of the study was to classify a cohort of adults into body shape categories and investigate how those categories are associated with common cancer and disease risk factors. Since the Body Shape Bible descriptions are generally more accessible, showing their link to common cancer and disease risk factors would help them have a better gauge of their own health.
Data was taken from adults enrolled in the Shape Up! Studies, which is a larger study that explores and develops ways to measure health and body composition from 2D and 3D images and to understand health from body shape. Zhantelle has done great work to initiate and define this special project, and ultimately we intend to present the future results. We’re very thankful for all her hard work!
