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Student Spotlight: Don Long

Donald Long

September 25, 2023—Updated April 28, 2025

Don Long is a doctoral candidate in genetics, genomics, and development from Millville, New Jersey. He earned his bachelor’s of science at Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah, and now studies the tumor metabolism of fibrolamellar carcinoma under the guidance of Praveen Sethupathy.

What is your area of research and why is it important?

I am investigating the tumor metabolism of a rare liver cancer called fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC). Although rare, this cancer disproportionately impacts adolescents and young adults. Individuals afflicted with this disease have less than a 50% chance of surviving beyond five years. To add insult to injury, there’s no standard of care for this cancer. FLC is resistant to chemo- and radiotherapy. The most effective treatment is surgical resection that’s hampered by a high rate of recurrence and low patient eligibility due to late-stage diagnosis. Studying the metabolism of FLC has not been explored, but it has high potential for identifying therapeutic vulnerabilities.

What are the larger implications of this research?

In general, cancer is immensely adaptable and resilient. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy that was initially effective can become ineffective over time, and initial clearance of the cancer by surgical resection can be superseded by recurrence. Effective therapeutic vulnerabilities revealed from the investigation of FLC metabolism could be broadly applicable to sub-populations of tumors within more common cancers that have eluded the conventional therapies. In a sense, FLC metabolism could serve as a rough template for the metabolism of more difficult cancers. At the very least, therapies informed by the investigation of rare tumor metabolism could be used as an adjuvant that boosts overall treatment efficacy.

What does it mean to you to have received an HHMI Gilliam Fellowship?

I cannot adequately put into words what it means to have received the prestigious HHMI Gilliam Fellowship in addition to previously being awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Being granted these two monumental fellowships is tremendous affirmation that I am in the right place and on the right track to becoming a principal investigator that contributes in a major way to the scientific enterprise.

What will this fellowship allow you and your advisor to do?

I am very passionate about and motivated to expedite the scientific efforts in finding an effective standard of care for FLC through my research endeavors. The Fibrolamellar Carcinoma Foundation is an impassioned, private organization that has provided our lab with significant financial support for that purpose. Generous funding from the HHMI Gilliam Fellowship will redirect FCF funding that may have originally been allocated to my stipend into my intensive research projects aimed at finding a cure for FLC. The HHMI funding also provides financial support for a course being constructed by my PI that seeks to demystify the “hidden curriculum” of graduate school for underrepresented groups.

What does it mean to you to be a Bouchet Scholar? (Added April 28, 2025)
 
For me, being a Bouchet Scholar means exemplifying excellence while maintaining authenticity. Oftentimes the higher one climbs up the ladder of success, the pool of individuals shrink, become more homogenous, and overrepresent the ethnic majority in the U.S. This often forces the ethnic minority in these spaces to perform extensive code switching to mask their true selves. Being a Bouchet Scholar feels like somewhat of a license to be unapologetic about representing Black excellence in high places. I will be sure to do that to the nth degree.
 
How do you exemplify the five pillars of the Bouchet Society—character, leadership, advocacy, scholarship, and service? (Added April 28, 2025)
 
Character: I’ve always had a strong drive to help others, and my first major experience with that endeavor was joining the military immediately after high school where I was sworn to protect the country. My military training taught me how to stay committed to a purpose that is bigger than any one individual, which can be argued is the essence of the scientific enterprise. Now, I’ve dedicated myself to academia with the objective of solving some of the medical field’s biggest questions.
Scholarship: For the past five years of my Ph.D. program, I have been investigating the metabolism of a rare liver cancer called fibrolamellar carcinoma (FLC) that occurs mainly in young individuals, and there is currently no standard of care for the disease. My dedication, along with the help of superb collaborators, has resulted in my first lead-author publication in the premier journal, Cell Reports Medicine. The work in the study was a primary motivator for the generation of a recent clinical trial by one of our collaborators. Dedication to my work has been appreciated in other ways as well. I was awarded the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Gilliam Fellowship in 2020 and 2023, respectively. I’ve also had the opportunity to present my work in the form of a guest lecture to undergraduates here at Cornell (Feb. 2025) and my alma mater, Southern Utah University (April 2025).
Leadership: For the aforementioned project, some functional experiments required expertise and technologies outside of our lab. My PI granted me a substantial amount of autonomy in establishing and managing collaborations. I felt like a mini-PI. Another memorable leadership experience was serving as a keynote speaker at the annual research symposium at my alma mater, Southern Utah University, in 2022. It was extremely gratifying to inspire the next generation of scientists.
Advocacy: I love to see individuals from historically underrepresented backgrounds thrive. From 2020 to 2024, I served as an annual panelist coaching REU (research experience for undergraduates) students on applying for the NSF GRFP. In 2023, I served as a panelist for the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association (BGPSA) community where we discussed how to navigate graduate life. I was interviewed by Brigham Young University (BYU) Broadcasting (2023) and the Southern Utah University marketing team (2025) where I had the opportunity to tell my story about my journey to science in hopes of inspiring individuals like me to pursue STEM.

What are your hobbies or interests outside of your research or scholarship?

At one point in my life, I was a professional Muay Thai kickboxer. As Muay Thai kickboxing is a beautiful but brutal sport, I have reluctantly retired the dream of becoming a world champion in exchange for retaining my mental faculties which is critical for the vocation I have chosen. However, I very much like to practice the martial art on a frequent basis. For better or for worse, I have an interest in how current and past political matters shape our world. One other hobby that I enjoy but haven’t had the time to pursue in a while is investigating my ancestry.

Why did you choose Cornell to pursue your degree?

The main reason I chose Cornell to pursue my graduate degree is because the university gave me a strong impression that they were very focused on cultivating me into a competent scientist. I interviewed at 10+ schools and was accepted into almost all of them. By far, Cornell stood out in the level of commitment that they proposed to offer to the development of their graduate students into well-rounded, top-notch scientists. I have just completed my fourth year, and Cornell has not disappointed.