As a teenager, Israel Davila-Aleman (CELL ’25) walked into the Hope Clinic seeking care but left with something much more profound: a lasting impression of what compassion in action looks like.
Working hard to make ends meet, Davila-Aleman’s parents relied on the Hope Clinic, a free medical facility dedicated to serving the uninsured and underrepresented, for their healthcare needs. Davila-Aleman doesn’t remember exactly why he first needed to visit, but that day is burned into his memory.
Years later, when Davila-Aleman began preparing for medical school, he struggled to understand why service hours were essential in the application process. “My heart was so hard, and my eyes were so blind,” Davila-Aleman admits. Frustrated, he was struck by memories from his time as a patient at the Hope Clinic. After reflecting on the love shown to him there, he decided to give volunteering another try—this time at the place where he had first seen compassion in action. Weeks of consistent service at the Hope Clinic gradually shifted something within him.
“And all of a sudden, my ‘check-the-box’ mindset completely changed,” he says. “My heart was softened because of the tender hearts and voices of the people of the Hope Clinic and their love for each other and those who serve them.” From that point onward, serving in the Hope Clinic became a cherished part of Davila-Aleman’s life.
Now, Davila-Aleman splits his time between serving in the Hope Clinic and conducting cancer research at BYU. He volunteers at the clinic on Tuesday mornings and dedicates the rest of his week to his studies and his research with Dr. Amber Gonda. Her cancer biology lab focuses on early cancer detection through blood analysis that targets cancer-specific signals released by cells.
The two environments enrich Davila-Aleman’s educational journey. The Hope Clinic is a bustling whirlwind of cheerful chaos, crammed full of patients and volunteers that Davila-Aleman describes as angels who are “just missing their halo and wings.” The cancer biology lab, on the other hand, is an engaging, innovative environment dedicated to the sort of cutting-edge research and experimentation that Davila-Aleman gratefully describes as having “completely converted me into the scientist I wanted to become.” Here, Davila-Aleman delves into the complex world of early cancer detection, in which each new experiment provides him with the opportunity to benefit numerous people’s lives. It is in the cancer biology lab that the opportunities for service Davila-Aleman encounters in the Hope Clinic can be transformed into concrete scientific solutions.
Though distinct, both the cancer biology lab and the Hope Clinic are stimulating settings that provide the intensive learning needed to foster academic excellence. Davila-Aleman uses what he learns in class and in the lab to help people at the clinic. Evidence of this is apparent to anyone who works closely with Davila-Aleman. “He’s a total go-getter,” Gonda says proudly. “He’s not willing to wait until he has more tools; he’s jumping wholeheartedly into serving people right now.”
"And all of a sudden, my ‘check-the-box’ mindset completely changed,” he says. “My heart was softened because of the tender hearts and voices of the people of the Hope Clinic and their love for each other and those who serve them."
Having spent so much time at the Hope Clinic, Davila-Aleman began to notice a pattern—one he wondered if he could address. “I spent about two years at the Hope Clinic visiting with patients—hearing about their sicknesses, their diseases,” he shares. “And one of the most prominent ones that I kept hearing about was the Helicobacter pylori infection.” Affecting more than 50 percent of the US population, Helicobacter pylori targets the stomach, disrupting normal cell development and creating an environment in which gastric cancer has the potential to thrive.1
As a former patient of the Hope Clinic, Davila-Aleman has a unique empathy for the experiences of the patients he works with at the clinic. He felt compelled to serve them as he was served, so he decided to focus his research on revealing differentially expressed genes in patients with the Helicobacter pylori infection. Determined to make a positive difference in his patients’ lives, Davila-Aleman approached his mentor and asked, "Dr. Gonda, what can our lab do about this? How can we use the lab’s research to benefit Hope Clinic patients?” Davila-Aleman recalls, “After thinking about that question for a long time, we formulated a hypothesis and a plan.” He is grateful for the opportunity to engage in research that he’s passionate about with guidance from experts like Gonda.
Working in the cancer biology lab has strengthened Davila-Aleman’s testimony and helped him see God’s hand in his life. “God has sent me so many people and experiences that have influenced me to focus on cancer research,” he says. “I cannot deny Him. He needs me to do this, and He needs me to grow and learn in this cancer research area. It has been such a blessing.”
Gonda’s cancer biology lab focuses primarily on using exosomes—nanosized, membrane-bound vesicles secreted by cells—as cancer-predicting biomarkers. Each exosome contains a unique blend of proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids that act as diagnostics, providing medical professionals with important information about their patient’s condition much earlier than traditional methods would allow. Davila-Aleman hopes that by studying the exosomes of patients with Helicobacter pylori infections at the Hope Clinic the research team can help medical providers catch potential gastric cancer early.
“In the long-term,” Gonda explains, “this would be like going in to get your cholesterol checked, but maybe you’re also getting checked for exosomal gastric changes.”
Though his research has a long way to go before it can be fully integrated into the current healthcare system, Davila-Aleman’s persistent, compassionate advocacy bodes well for the future of those suffering from chronic Helicobacter pylori infections and gastric cancer. Whether it’s in the lab or at the clinic, Davila-Aleman exemplifies Christlike service. His experiences at the Hope Clinic have profoundly shaped his approach to medicine and research; his work is driven by a deep sense of empathy and an unwavering commitment to make a difference in the lives of those who are most vulnerable. He is developing his divine potential at BYU by embracing not merely a code of ethics but also his discipleship to Christ as he serves others through his research.