A Dakota City, Neb., couple has created a graduate student award at the University of Nebraska Medical Center to honor their late son, who was a cancer researcher there.
The award – the Shawn Jessen Memorial Cancer Research Award – was created by Janice and Leon Jessen to honor Shawn, who died on Nov. 7 at the age of 28 due to complications from type 1 diabetes.
The award will be given annually to two outstanding graduate students in the Cancer Research Graduate Program through the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. The award comes with a cash prize and commendation.
A 1998 graduate of Sioux City Bishop Heelan High School, Shawn Jessen received his bachelor of science degree in biology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2005 and was working on his master’s degree in biochemistry at UNMC.
He worked as a research technician doing breast cancer research in the lab of Hamid Band, M.D., Ph.D., a professor in UNMC’s Eppley Institute.
Jessen’s enthusiasm was contagious, Dr. Band said.
“You can tell when someone is really into something, and those are the people we look for to work in our lab,” he said. “Shawn was obviously interested and excited about our work and others in the lab fed off his energy.”
Dr. Band and the rest of his staff were stung hard when news came in November about Jessen’s untimely death.
“It was not only a loss professionally, it hurt on a personal level, too, because we had developed great relationships with him,” Dr. Band said.
Jessen had worked in Dr. Band’s laboratory for about nine months and was taking graduate courses as part of his application for the Eppley Institute’s Cancer Research Graduate Program.
His parents said working in Dr. Band’s lab and toward a career in research served as sort of an academic rebirth for their son.
Jessen was a straight-A student at Heelan High School, but uncharacteristically, he struggled at UNL and left midway through his sophomore year.
“Shawn was very competitive and at Heelan he was surrounded by friends who pushed him in the classroom,” Janice Jessen said. “He couldn’t find that at UNL and he really lost direction for a while.”
When he returned home to Dakota City, his parents laid down the law. They told him if he wanted to go back to school, he would have to prove himself by paying his own way for a while and keeping his grades up at a local community college.
Working with a new vigor, Jessen took classes at Western Iowa Technical College in Sioux City and upped his grade point average. He also worked full time and paid off his student loans. With a clean slate, he reenrolled at UNL and earned his bachelor’s degree in biology.
About a year ago, he applied for the technician position in Dr. Band’s laboratory. He was selected for the post, as the laboratory staff said Jessen’s excitement for science was palpable, even over the phone.
“When I called to hire him, we talked for quite a while on the phone,” said Mayumi Naramura, M.D., an assistant professor in the Eppley Institute and a member of Dr. Band’s team. “I could tell he was very excited about science and happy to be coming to our lab.”
His parents said Jessen literally jumped for joy when he got the job.
“He always loved science and he was very excited about pursuing a career in research,” said Leon Jessen.
In the lab, Shawn — who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 20 — would get so into his work that other researchers had to remind him to monitor his blood sugar levels.
“Shawn has always been obsessed with things and so it was with his work,” said Janice Jessen, who noted that Shawn was an avid bass fisherman and loved doing karaoke.
Shortly after Shawn’s death, his parents contacted the University of Nebraska Foundation to look into options to honor their son. Foundation officials and Dr. Band suggested setting up an award for Eppley Cancer Center graduate students in Jessen’s name.
Last month, the Jessens came to UNMC to tour the lab Shawn worked in and to formally announce the creation of the award.
“Shawn does have a story to tell about his quest for a college degree,” Janice Jessen said. “The opportunity to work in cancer research at UNMC was a dream come true for him.”
Dr. Band thanked the Jessens for their support, noting that the award is a wonderful way of advancing their son’s legacy.
“Those of us who do research are motivated by the idea of discovering things that help people,” Dr. Band said. “Through this award, Shawn’s memory can serve as an inspiration and motivation for others who are looking to careers in research.”
UNMC is the only public health science center in the state. Its educational programs are responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska than any other institution. Through their commitment to education, research, patient care and outreach, UNMC and its hospital partner, The Nebraska Medical Center, have established themselves as one of the country’s leading centers in cancer, transplantation biology, bioterrorism preparedness, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, biomedical technology and ophthalmology. UNMC’s research funding from external sources now exceeds $82 million annually and has resulted in the creation of more than 2,400 highly skilled jobs in the state. UNMC’s physician practice group, UNMC Physicians, includes 513 physicians in 50 specialties and subspecialties who practice primarily in The Nebraska Medical Center. For more information, go to UNMC’s Web site at www.unmc.edu.