Desiree Powell is passionate about her work doing research for new treatments in cancer. She is a highly trained certified medical laboratory specialist currently employed by the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. She works as a technician in the Laboratory of Comparative Pathology. Desiree Powell has been working at the cancer center since 2008.

Most of Desiree Powell's training, certifications and licenses were acquired during her time serving in the United States Army National Guard. She spent over 6 years serving her country. She got her Bachelor of Arts in biology degree from the State University of New York at Geneseo. Desiree Powell then went on to receive additional training as a medical laboratory specialist. After leaving the Army National Guard, she continued her training in being a medical laboratory specialist and found a job within one of the top cancer centers in the United States.

Over time Desiree Powell realized that she wanted to go beyond her work in laboratory research. She needed something more and knew she wanted to stay in the medical field. After spending some time working around people who worked in cancer research, Desiree Powell was inspired to pursue a career as a physician's assistant. The fact that she can be one-on-one with the patients makes her feel like she is making more of an impact in a patient’s life. “It really makes my day when I can bring a smile to one of their faces,” said Desiree Powell.

Besides her work in the medical field, Desiree Powell has become increasingly interested in astrophysics and astronomy. She reads as many articles and watches as many documentaries as she can find on the subject. Desiree Powell is a big fan of Neil Degrasse Tyson, a world renown astrophysicist and author. She read two of his books "Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries" and” City of Stars. She feels that the reading about the great unknown is so fascinating and takes her mind off of work.