Raised in D.C.’s historic Shaw area, Dr. Cunningham’s early exposure to science came from a deeply personal source—his grandmother, a cancer researcher who played a pivotal role in sparking his lifelong passion for molecular biology. “I was exposed to science at an early age from my grandmother, a cancer researcher,” Cunningham said before his 30-minute discussion with National Newspaper Publishers Association President and CEO Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., the host of the Chavis Chronicles. “She sparked in me that intellectual curiosity of what caused a cancer cell to be a cancer cell. It’s fascinating to me.”