Cancer has always played a role in redirecting Pamela Sirota’s personal, academic, and professional life.
When her dad was diagnosed with cancer during her senior year in high school, she knew her life calling would be making an impact on the lives of patients and families burdened by cancer.
She spent her undergraduate years at Florida State University involved in research, learning how public policy intersects with health care and how good actors in the political space can positively impact the daily lives of patients.
In 2022, as a legislative intern on the Moffitt Cancer Center Government Relations team, she saw first-hand the intersection of public policy and health care.
Now as the legislative affairs coordinator at Moffitt, Sirota works to communicate with elected officials what the center needs to improve patient care. She’s learned how heavily Moffitt relies on government funding for research and operations.
One of her proudest moments came a few weeks ago when a curative treatment for multiple myeloma — the cancer she lost her father to — was approved by the FDA in part thanks to the funding the government relations department successfully acquired from the state.
It was a full-circle moment that reaffirmed her decision to pursue an MBA with a concentration in health care management at USF. She hopes to understand the barriers to effective health care and to craft the solutions to break down those barriers.
In the end, Sirota hopes that seeking out more knowledge will help her contribute to the discovery of treatments that might prevent other kids from losing a parent.
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