Sara Flores awarded Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Award

Sara Flores, a doctoral candidate in health education at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health, is the recipient of the 2025 Association of Former Students Distinguished Graduate Student Award. She is one of nine Texas A&M graduate students who will be honored for excellence in research at the Faculty Affairs Spring Awards Ceremony on April 25.

Flores’ research examines how young adult breast cancer survivors navigate social systems after completing active treatment. Her dissertation identifies sophisticated patterns of network adaptation among survivors, revealing how they strategically navigate health care fragmentation while balancing their ongoing support needs with evolving relationship dynamics. This work represents an intentional shift toward systems thinking in cancer survivorship research, providing valuable insights as young adult breast cancer cases continue to rise nationwide.

Flores received the Texas A&M University Graduate Community of Scholars Unsung Hero Award in 2024. Recently, she was named a Cancer Prevention Fellowship Program Fellow at the National Cancer Institute, where she will continue to investigate ways to improve transition experiences and reduce disparities in cancer survivorship care.

Since 1965, The Association of Former Students has joined with Texas A&M University’s Office of Graduate and Professional Studies in recognizing outstanding graduate students for their exemplary accomplishments in either research or teaching. Flores will be presented with a custom engraved watch and a framed certificate denoting her achievement.