Methodist University senior Allison Haché was one of 11 undergraduate students in the entire nation accepted into the prestigious 2026 Summer Training in Research and Oncology for the Next Generation of Researchers (STRONGER) program at the University of Florida Health Cancer Institute.
Methodist University senior Allison Haché was one of 11 undergraduate students in the entire nation accepted into the prestigious 2026 Summer Training in Research and Oncology for the Next Generation of Researchers (STRONGER) program at the University of Florida Health Cancer Institute.
Over 12 weeks, Haché, a Biology major minoring in Chemistry and Cognitive Behavioral Neuropsychology, was fully immersed in conducting complex laboratory research, observing oncologists, and collecting data alongside a research mentor, Caitland Love, an MD-PhD candidate at UF studying glioblastoma, a particular brain cancer.
One of the highlights of the internship was landing Love, her first choice, as her research mentor. The two clicked immediately.
“They had us all basically speed-date,” Haché said. “We spent 15 minutes with each other, and I got my top choice, which was lucky because I really wanted to work with the brain cancer, the glioblastoma.”
While the internship was a significant capstone for the Ocala, Fla., native, it is her achievements at Methodist University that put her on the track to not only the esteemed internship but also a bright future in medicine and/or medical research.
Haché began undertaking research at Methodist University in tandem with a faculty mentor, Vijay Antharam, PhD, associate professor of Chemistry and head of the Natural Sciences Division in the College of Arts, Humanities, & Sciences.
“She did some research with me on breast milk,” recalled Antharam. “We have an instrument called an NMR, which stands for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. It’s like an MRI, but it doesn’t do imaging; it’s more spectroscopy. You can sense the molecules or detect the molecules.”
Haché’s research examined human breast milk in comparison to commercially available infant formula. This culminated in two research posters Haché presented at Methodist University’s Center for Research & Creativity Symposium. At the 15th Symposium in April, she presented “Comparative Chemical & Antimicrobial Profiling of Human Breast Milk and Commercial Infant Formula Using Multimodal Spectroscopy and Microbial Genomics.” The previous year, she presented “Comparison of Maternal Milk and Commercialized Formula Under Low Magnetic Field Strengths and Probing Inhibitory Properties of Common Gastrointestinal Pathogens.” She has also presented these posters at other regional research conferences, including the North Carolina Academy of Science (NCAS) Conference at Fayetteville State University and the State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research & Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS) at Elon University.
Antharam wrote the letter of recommendation for Haché to be accepted into the STRONGER internship, a task made easier not only by her excellence in conducting biochemical research but also due to her strong academic track record. Her name has appeared on the President’s List each semester for the past four academic years, recognizing her achieving a minimum 3.9 GPA over that span.
“She’s just a brilliant student, and it’s great to have her,” Antharam said. “She is definitely a student who sets an example of what a really good college student should be like.”
Currently the vice president of the Pre-Med Club at Methodist University, Haché – a military spouse who has two boys (ages 10 and 12) and a husband who is deployed right now − has her sights set on medical school after graduation, with some medical research on the side. She will be taking the MCAT and applying to medical school next spring.
“Because of the difficulty of being accepted to medical school, I do have a ‘Plan B’ in place: going to graduate school to pursue a PhD,” Haché said. “I really like research. I’ve done some research work with Dr. Antharam, and we’re hoping to publish on that.”
Haché added that she will be published based on her internship research, credited on the paper that Love will publish this spring.