Jessie Satia

I JUST HEARD ABOUT YOU FROM YOUR COUSIN. I FEEL THE LOSS SO DEEPLY, THOUGH I NEVER GOT TO KNOW YOU PERSONALLY.

Dear Asong,
When I just happenned to glance through this web and fell on this page, I saw the name Jessie Satia. Did not make any impression to me as I never knew you as Jessie. Then I saw the initial A. I felt a little warm but then I saw Asong and  my heart dropped. You see Asong, you might not remember but you were one of the one of the girls i called my best friend in primary school. Even though we moved out of Yaounde soon after, i have always thought of you and the day we will meet again. I guess the states was too big for us as I will only find out that you lost your battle with Cancer.

while i am saddenned that we lost you so soon, i am comforted by the fact that you are no longer in pain and that cancer has no hold on you. You sleep with the lord and we are grateful.
To your family i can only extend my sincere condolences.
From your life story, i can see that it is not the amount of time we spend on this earth but the impact that we make while in it.
On that note i will say Bravo my dear friend.
Yours speaks for itself.
RIP dear Asong.
till we meet again.

This comes as a great shock to me. I met Jessie at the ANEC conference in Cairo. She made such a huge impact to me in such a brief meeting. I cannot imagine how those who knew her closely must feel. She was indeed a shinning star.
Please accept my sincere condolences.

Rest in Peace, Jessie.

Dear Asong,

It was with deep regret and shock that I learnt of your passing.

Memories of our days in school keep running through my mind. The fun the laughter, the jokes. The teachers and the tough times. Yes the tough times. Yet you shone on and you conquered every obstacle.

Though it's been so long, it all seems like yesterday.

Now you are gone, but your light shines on. It shines even brighter now because you have gone to a better place. A place of no pain, no sorrow, no hard times.

We love you, we miss you, but God loves you more and knows what's best for you. So He called you to be by his side where your smile would go on for ever and your joy would be immense, and most of all you will hurt no more.

To your family, I extend my heart felt condolences. The Good Lord will dry your tears and watch over you for ever. Asong is in Heaven, preparing a place for all of us.

Rest in peace sweet friend, till we meet again to smile for ever.

I know you are with our Lord.

I was head of global epidemiology at Amgen when Jessie approached me about coming to join our department- and although I discouraged her at first, I was delighted by her perseverance and genuine interest in joining this new venture. She was an amazing friend and coworker. Jessie would volunteer for the most challenging tasks and complete them with acumen. She was brilliant at work and fun always at play. She was never the first to a party at the house, but was always the most playful and the last to leave. My last communication with her was on Jan 27th- her Birthday as follows:

Dear Jessie

Don't think I forgot your special day stranger! I miss our celebrations Jessie and what a pleasure it was both to work and play with you. I hope you are well and joyful- and that we will drink to your health sometime soon.  Shall we meet at EB? Or beforehand?

Affectionately,  Lenore

 

Dear Lenore,

So good to hear from you, as always.  As you may know, I have been quite ill and I am on extended medical  leave - long story, but I am not doing too well. I hope to go to EB, but I am not sure yet. If I am strong enough sometime soon, might take my long planned vacation and visit you in California, looking forward to having one of your famous mojitos. Will  let you know about EB.

 

If I have the energy, I am thinking about submitting a grant in June testing the CASI Diet History for adolescents - will discuss with you  further.

 

My warmest regards to Dan and your kids.

Fondly,  Jessie

And then she was gone.

Jessie left a huge hole in so many hearts.
My heart goes out to her family knowing what a great sorrow this is.

With deep affection for Jessie, and deep sympathy
Lenore

Dear Satia Family,

 

We want to extend out deepest sympathy for all of you.  Although we never knew Asong, we do feel a connection to her through her dear sister A.T.  When we heard of Asong's passing all we wanted was to be with you and your family to somehow comfort you.  Please accept this message as our attempt to do just that.

A.T you have been a blessing, a gift and friend from the Lord.  The impact you have had on our family has been an eternal one.  The constant, unconditional love you have extended to our daughter Emily has changed her and us forever.  We are so grateful for you and are so very, very sorry for the loss of your precious sister. 

We are here for you and your entire family, always.

Love,

David and Cristine

To Jessie's family,

 

We wish you peace and God's comfort during these difficult time. I kept Jessie in my prayers and you are also in my prayers. We will miss Jessie and will keep her memory in our hearts.

Dear Family of Jessie,

I first met Jessie in 1996 as I was completing the PhD program at the University of WA and Jessie was beginning. She sought out my advice (which she did not need since she was so capable!) and friendship. A few years later I introduced her to my colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Ruth Patterson asked me if I knew of any promising doctoral students in need of a dissertation project - my immediate (and only!) response was Jessie. At FHCRC Jessie found much success as a doctoral student and later a postdoc. Our friendship grew as we enjoyed many hours talking, sharing life and laughing. She deeply loved you, her family. She was especially happy upon becoming an auntie!

 

I was thrilled when she accepted a job at UNC since I thought it would be a great step for her career. We all missed her in Seattle, but thanks to meetings and email we could keep in touch. I am so deeply sorry to hear that Jessie has left us so soon - leaving all of us to miss her. I will never forget her kind spirit, her laugh and her intellect. Please accept my sincere and deep condolences.

 

Marian Neuhouser

So long ago since we last met

I still remember your distinct smile

RIP my sweet sister

Jessie Satia joined the Department of Nutrition in 2002, and in 2007 she was promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor with tenure. At UNC a faculty member is considered for promotion to Associate Professor only if they have, without question, demonstrated outstanding ability as a scholar. They must show that their work is likely to lead to improvements in the public’s health and they are on a course to become a national and international leader in their discipline.

 

Jessie Satia was all of these things.

 

Jessie’s research was in cancer and health disparities.  We all know that Cancer is a terrible disease – causing appalling pain and suffering and needless death.  Jessie was passionate about preventing Cancer and helping cancer survivors to live better lives. 

 

Jessie noticed that there was a disparity in cancer such that some types of cancers were more likely to strike African Americans than others and that African Americans diagnosed with some types of cancers were less likely to survive than other Americans. 

She wondered if this difference might be related to life-style choices such as diet, or to supplement use or physical activity levels.  Jessie vigorously pursued answers to these and similar questions and was passionate about improving health and decreasing health disparities. 

 

At the time of her death Jessie was PI of 5 grants: 4 of these from NIH and one from the American Cancer Society.  She published 12 papers in 2009, 6 of those first authored.  In addition, she was the main force behind a training grant to provide support for scientists pursuing careers in cancer health disparities. 

 

All this while she battled sickness.

 

Yesterday I learned that an article published in the prestigious American Journal of Epidemiology that was led by Jessie has been selected by the National Cancer Institute’s Epidemiology and Genetics Research Program as an example of research published in 2009 with the greatest scientific and public health impact.  The manuscript described her work on diet supplements and lung cancer and showed that several types of supplements can actually increase the incidence of lung cancer in smokers. 

 

This is just one of the many results that Jessie has published that will make a difference in the health of the world’s population. She achieved much as a scientist but she clearly was going to achieve even more.  At 39 she was just hitting her stride, and with her intelligence, poise, personality and drive she was without doubt destined to be an international expert in her discipline and a national treasure.

 

Over the past week I have had a chance to read several pieces of Jessie’s work. 

Her writing is crystal clear, intelligent and elegant.  It is heart breaking that someone with so much talent is lost to us. 

 

Jessie’s work will live on through her writings and through her students.  But in so many ways, we will never stop missing Jessie.