Featured Grantee

Quick Facts

  • Name: Carmen Milagros Ortiz Sánchez
  • Comes from: Guayama, Puerto Rico
  • Lives in: Ponce, Puerto Rico
  • In three words: Curious, Resilient, Committed
  • Leisure time activities: Going to the beach, reading, hiking, spending time with my family, and listening to podcasts
  • Likes: Coffee, chocolate, good music
  • Unsuspected talent:  I’m a certified artisan in handmade soaps.
  • Currently reading: The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher’s Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient by William Braxton Irvine and Atlas of the Heart by Brené Brown 

 In a nutshell

  • My research matters because… it expands our knowledge of prostate cancer in Puerto Rican men, the leading cause of cancer-related death in our population. It also aims to improve detection, especially once the disease has spread to other organs.
  • One of the inspirations for my research has been… learning about the high mortality rates among Puerto Rican men due to prostate cancer, and the lack of representation of Hispanics in related studies. There’s also a significant gap in the scientific literature on prostate cancer in Hispanics compared to other populations.
  • The best thing about my job is… that I get to combine my two passions: teaching and mentoring students at all levels—high school, undergraduate, master’s, and MD. At the same time, I contribute to advancing science in ways that benefit Puerto Rican prostate cancer patients.
  • My career highlight so far has been… receiving the Minority and Minority-Serving Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Award from the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and being selected to give an oral presentation at the AACR Annual Meeting, one of the premier global events in cancer research.
  • My advice to aspiring researchers is… to work hard on both your career and your personal growth. Stay curious—curiosity drives discovery. Build your network and get to know the people around you; future collaborations often start with a simple conversation. Be patient and persistent—your hard work will pay off if you’re consistent. Your opportunity will come.

Dra. Carmen Ortiz
Assistant Professor – Pharmacology
Co-Leader U54 Full Research Project
Basic Sciences Department

Interview:

After finishing high school, I pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and planned to work in industry. But during my second year, I was introduced to research. Before that, becoming a scientist felt completely out of reach—I thought of people like Einstein and Marie Curie, but I didn’t know any scientists who looked like me. Everything changed when I realized I could do research at my own university, UPR Cayey. That discovery opened a whole new world for me, and I knew this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. 

My main focus is understanding the biological factors contributing to the high mortality rate from prostate cancer in Puerto Rican men. Social factors alone don’t explain this disparity, so our research looks at the biology behind it. We’re currently identifying DNA methylation biomarkers that can help distinguish aggressive prostate cancer—both in tumor and blood samples. Identifying blood-based biomarkers could lead to less invasive and more effective diagnostic tools for different types of prostate cancer including metastatic disease. 

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer is a lethal form of the disease. It develops when tumors stop responding to androgen deprivation therapy, a common prostate cancer treatment. Once resistant, the cancer continues growing and spreads to other parts of the body. Despite its severity, this type of cancer hasn’t been widely studied in Puerto Rican men, which is why I chose to focus on it. 

This disease is hard to treat because there are no specific tools for early detection. Diagnosis typically relies on a mix of blood tests (like PSA levels), imaging (CT, MRI, PET scans), physical exams, and sometimes biopsies. The number of tests involved can delay diagnosis, which in turn delays treatment. Our research aims to shorten this process by identifying specific blood markers that allow for earlier and more accurate detection. 

I hope my research enables earlier diagnosis of this aggressive disease, giving patients a better chance of receiving effective treatment before the cancer further progresses. 

I love going to the beach—it’s my happy place, especially the beaches on the west side of the island. I also enjoy hiking, challenging myself, reconnecting with nature, and exploring Puerto Rico’s beautiful natural resources, which we often overlook. Family is very important to me, so spending time with them is one of the things I cherish most.