Commencement 2025: URI graduate student hopes to contribute to fight against cancer 

Doris Keziah Ndassi will start Ph.D. program in fall at Johns Hopkins University

KINGSTON, R.I. – May 12, 2025 – Doris Keziah Ndassi’s first steps toward a career in medicine may have begun with her grandmother, Lydia Mbianda, lying on the living room floor of their family home in Bamenda, Cameroon. Burdened by severe leg and back pain, she would urge her great-grandchildren to step on her back, hoping for relief.

“I had always been told I had a big heart and felt deeply,” says Ndassi. “As a child, I naturally gravitated toward helping others—whether it was family, friends, or anyone in pain. Seeing my Granny’s struggles only strengthened that instinct. More than anything, I wanted to ease her stress, lessen her worries, and give her the comfort she truly deserved.”

Ndassi will take another step toward her goal as she crosses the stage during the University of Rhode Island’s College of Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony on May 16, earning her master’s degree in medical physics. This fall, she will begin her next journey at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where she will pursue her Ph.D. in medical physics—a discipline that applies physics to medical radiation treatments, devices, and technologies, playing a critical role in diagnosing and treating patients.

“What I love about medical physics is its immense potential in advancing cancer treatment,” she says. “My ultimate goal is to contribute to finding a universal cure for all types of cancer. Medical physics allows me to explore various approaches and innovative techniques to achieve that mission.”

Ndassi’s passion for cancer research is deeply personal. Growing up with a love of science, she once dreamed of becoming a doctor. But her focus on cancer treatment solidified after a heartbreaking loss—her mother, Regina Nsibonu, passed away from pancreatic cancer a few months after Ndassi left high school.

Until her mother’s illness, she had never heard of the disease. In Cameroon, awareness of cancer is limited, and hospitals lack the essential equipment and treatments needed to diagnose and manage it effectively. Many people attribute cancer symptoms to other causes—sometimes even to witchcraft.

“After my mom passed away, a family friend also died from breast cancer,” Ndassi says. “People attributed it to witchcraft. Most of the time, when you start showing signs and symptoms of cancer, you won’t go to the hospital. Instead, people will try to treat it with herbs or potions. But you need medical care.”

After earning her bachelor’s degree in physics with a minor in biochemistry, Ndassi, with strong encouragement from her then best friend, began searching for a master’s program in medical physics. URI’s program stood out.

When she arrived in Rhode Island in August 2023, she quickly realized just how different life would be—not just academically, but in everyday moments.

“It was my first time on a plane,” she recalls. “When I was leaving, my uncle helped me navigate everything. I got on the plane and thought, ‘Oh wow, this is really nice.’ Then I arrived in Rhode Island, and the first thing I thought was, ‘Wow, this is cold.’ It was late August!”

Although she hasn’t quite adjusted to New England’s chilly climate, the warm welcome at URI made all the difference. Despite the initial shock of navigating a large campus, she wasted no time meeting students and faculty—starting with a volunteer event on her very first day in Kingston.

“From her first week here, it was clear she is special,” says Leonard Kahn, chair of the physics department and Ndassi’s faculty mentor. “I first met her before the semester began at a URI-United Way event at the Providence Convention Center. Even then, she had already made friends and figured out transportation.”

Ndassi’s time at URI has been remarkable. In two years, she has maintained a 3.97 GPA while taking double the typical graduate course load. She has served as a physics teaching assistant, joined numerous organizations—including the Graduate Students Association and Global Connections—and volunteered with groups such as the American Cancer Society, South County Hospital, and Rhody Outpost, and traveled to conferences in California and Arizona.

“She has a daring attitude, courage, and a belief that nothing is beyond reach,” says Anuradha Weerakkody, physics lab manager. “Her ability to adapt and overcome challenging obstacles is truly remarkable.”

URI’s interdisciplinary approach—including core classes in biology, biomedical engineering, and physics and how they tie back to medical physics—mentorship and hands-on experiences have provided her the resources and opportunities to advance, she says. With a focus on cancer therapy, she also has taken part in numerous labs, including chemical engineering professor Samantha Meenach’s nanoparticles lab and in physics professor Yana Rashentnyak’s biophysics lab.

Growing up in the middle of a civil war in Cameroon, where daily life was restricted to school and home, Ndassi has embraced the newfound freedom to explore, connect, and grow at URI.

“When researching medical physics programs, I specifically looked for a program with a strong sense of community, much like what we have here at URI,” she says. “I wanted a place that would support my academic growth but also help me develop as a person, and URI provided exactly that.”

Beyond her Ph.D., she dreams of volunteering on a medical mission and eventually building a cancer center in Cameroon—a goal so ambitious it makes her friends laugh.

“If there’s a way, I want to collaborate with hospitals around the world and back home to make cancer treatment accessible,” she says. “I want people to understand that cancer is real, it’s not witchcraft, and it’s killing far too many people.”

Before leaving Rhode Island for Maryland, Ndassi plans to make the most of her summer.

“I’m embracing my inner Dora the Explorer and becoming the Dora of Rhode Island,” she jokes. “Some of my friends will be around, so we’re starting a book club and a cooking club. Plus, I’ll finally learn how to swim and ride a bicycle.”