May 21, 2026 CSUCI Health Science Major to Pursue a Future in Cancer Research and Medicine

May 21, 2026 - Epidemiologist. Oncologist. Physician-scientist. CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) Health Science major Bryan Magana has big plans for the future.

Magana, who will graduate from CSUCI on Saturday, May 23, also minored in Chemistry and Biology. In the Fall, he will attend Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to pursue a Master of Health Science degree in Epidemiology. From there, he plans to earn an M.D./Ph.D. and ultimately build a career that combines treating cancer patients with conducting oncology research.

A first-generation college student and the son of Mexican immigrants, Magana grew up in Fillmore, California, where he excelled academically and athletically at Fillmore High School. Although he was accepted to several California State University campuses, he chose CSUCI because of its small class sizes, affordability, and the opportunity to build meaningful relationships with faculty.

"I know all of my professors personally," Magana said. "The class sizes are small enough that I was able to develop connections with them and ask questions about graduate school, career paths, and future opportunities."

Magana initially entered CSUCI as a pre-nursing student. However, after completing clinical rotations, he realized he wanted to explore a broader range of opportunities within health care and switched his major to Health Science.

That decision proved transformative.

Health Science Department Chair Sonsoles de LaCalle became an important mentor, helping Magana create an academic roadmap and connecting him with internships and professional experiences that aligned with his goals.

One of those experiences was the COPE Health Scholars Program at Dignity Health's St. John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard where Magana worked closely with physicians and gained firsthand insight into patient care.

"I really appreciated the trusting relationship between doctor and patient," he said. "That's what inspired me to become a physician."

An on-campus position as a student researcher with Assistant Health Science Professor Thomas Clobes introduced Magana to another passion: research.

"As a physician, you help individual people, but as a researcher, you can impact many people at once," Magana said. "I'm really drawn to doing both."

That passion deepened during an internship - and later employment - at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where he conducted oncology research. The experience solidified his ambition to become both a practicing oncologist and a cancer researcher.

"As an oncologist, you can see patients and do research in your field," Magana said. "I want to be able to work both in a clinic and in a lab where I get to help people not just personally, but on a much broader scale. I love interacting with people, but I also love doing research as well."

After his studies are complete, he hopes to return home and join a large health care organization or hospital in Ventura County. But Magana is also passionate about addressing health disparities and expanding access to care for underserved communities. He wants to volunteer his time caring for patients at the area's free and low-cost community health clinics as well as advocate for greater access to quality health care for marginalized populations.

"Everyone deserves the right to live a long and healthy life," he said.

CSUCI's 2026 commencement ceremonies will take place on Saturday, May 23 at the campus' South Quad at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. For complete commencement information, visit go.csuci.edu/grad

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