“From Farm to Tablet:” School of Medicine Alumna Stephanie Graff Honored with Take Wing Award

Returning to her alma mater, Stephanie Graff (BLA '03/M.D. '04) stood behind the lectern at the UMKC School of Medicine and reflected on a career shaped by hard work, mentorship and a belief in the power of community.

In her 2025 Take Wing Lecture in May, titled "Farm to Tablet," Graff revealed how growing up on a farm in rural Missouri cultivated the foundational skills that still guide her as a leader in breast oncology. Framing her journey through a farm-to-table dining metaphor, she spoke of sowing seeds, weathering storms and working alongside a team to bring quality care and research to the table.

"The skills that I developed early in my life living in rural Missouri, helping support my family are fundamental," Graff said. "Whether that's being able to relate to anyone, excellent communication, work ethic, stick-to-it-ness or grit. I think that that translates well into a career in science. There are certainly disappointments and setbacks in a career in medicine, just as there are in farming."

One of Graff's first career setbacks was in her second year of her thoracic oncology fellowship. Her mentor ended up changing institutions, so Graff quickly had to find a new oncologist to pair with to complete her fellowship training program. The new mentor that "adopted" her was a breast oncologist.

"The breast oncologist said, 'You know, if you start working with me, you're going to have to see breast cancer, right?'" Graff said. "I absolutely ended up loving it. And so, here I am, all these years later, doing breast oncology. It ended up being fantastic that I had the opportunity to pivot."

Graff knew early on in medical school that oncology was the right field.

"The science of oncology was just really captivating," Graff said. "Then when I got to the clinical rotations, the sort of connections that we are able to develop in cancer care with our patients just felt like home to me."

Now, more than 20 years after choosing this path, Graff has now been named the latest E. Grey Dimond, M.D. Take Wing Award winner. The award is the School of Medicine's annual honor given to a graduate who has demonstrated excellence in his or her chosen field and exceeded the expectations of peers in the practice of medicine, academic medicine or research.

Currently, Graff is the director of Breast Oncology at Brown University Health where she serves as co-lead of the Breast Cancer Translational Research Disease Working Group at Legoretta Cancer Center and is an associate professor of medicine at the Warren-Alpert School of Medicine. Prior to joining the team at Brown in 2021, she has held several leadership positions with Sarah Cannon Cancer Institute.

During her lecture, Graff shared that the docent team model she experienced at UMKC has inspired her to create team-based care models and mentorship programs at every stage of her career, including a national Facebook group connecting oncologists to share insights and support.

"I'm at a place in my career where there's a lovely inflection point where I can start using my role to create opportunities for others," Graff said. "My mentors have meant so much to me, and it means a lot to me to be able to create opportunities for others."

Now that Graff is providing mentorship to young physicians and researchers, what is her biggest piece of advice? The path is messy, but worthwhile if you can learn from it.

"Pull out the golden thread from that failure," Graff said. "Ask, 'What can I learn from here? How can I pivot, learn, adjust from this moment to be stronger next time?' Those are the things that distinguish us and set us apart and are often actually better than the successes at the end of the day for reflection and personal growth."

As Graff reflects on the years of planting, nurturing and harvesting that brought her to this moment, she's savoring the fruits of her labor.

"I remember the Take Wing lectures," Graff said. "I never would have imagined that I would be giving one. To think about the caliber of prior recipients and the impact of their careers, it's a great honor to be among them."