First Latina to lead NCI-designated Cancer Center [Video]

KOAT is highlighting the contributions of New Mexico’s Hispanic communities throughout Hispanic Heritage Month.Dr. Yolanda Sanchez recently joined the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center as CEO and Director. She has broken barriers throughout her career. “I wanted to carry out biomedical research,” Sanchez said as she reflected on the beginning of her healthcare journey. “Research that would impact health care.” “I was born in El Paso, Texas, and I grew up in Ciudad Juarez,” she said. Her career spans decades, and this year, it brought her back home to the Southwest. Sanchez is now the director and CEO of the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center in Albuquerque. “My six-month anniversary was Aug. 6,” Sanchez said. There are just 72 National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers in the United States, located in only 36 states. New Mexico is not just one of those states. It is now the first state with an NCI-designated center …