I am an Assistant Professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control program at Fox Chase Cancer Center. My research laboratory seeks to understand how innate differences (such as germline variants) in DNA replication and/or repair impact two critical areas in precision oncology: (1) what underlies an individual’s cancer risk, and (2) how an individual will respond to cancer treatment. My laboratory has been funded by the NIH (NCI), DOD and other funding agencies.

Our research focus is improving screening and early detection of cancers, especially rare cancers such as renal carcinomas. We are also interested in developing methods to understand who will benefit (or not benefit) from chemoradiation therapy. Based on these objectives, we are 1) studying novel genetic changes in hereditary genitourinary cancers to support precision cancer prevention and early detection, and 2) developing novel molecular biomarkers to predict pathological response to chemoradiation therapy (CRT) in rectal cancer to support precision treatment.We are integrating next-generation sequencing methods with biological assays (biochemistry, cell and molecular biology) and bioinformatic analysis of large population datasets to support translational research at Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Effectively bridged research within the programs of Risk Assessment and molecular therapeutics to improve cancer diagnostics and therapeutics

- Biomarker development (cancer diagnostics, cancer therapeutics, cancer genetics, epigenetics)- Analyzed and interpreted genomic data- Developed a novel pipeline of combining NGS analysis with biological (molecular and cellular) assays in patient primary cells.- Coordinated projects with a multi-investigator team involving basic scientists, systems biologists, clinicians and geneticists - Experienced in content management system (CMS)- Trained and supervised research staff- Built collaborations within and beyond Fox Chase Cancer Center- Scientific Writing - grants, research articles, reviews and Wikipedia content- Volunteered to talk about scientific careers with high school and undergraduate students - Critically reviewed articles for publication in scientific journals- Led and organized focus groups - 1) Research focus group which involves multiple laboratories throughout Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple University in Philadelphia - "DNA Repair & Genome Stability"2)Team building, career development and professional growth focus group for students, postdocs and faculty at Fox Chase Cancer Center - "Women in Science"

Review biological protocols to make them easy for a novice to follow with an aim to enhance experimental reproducibility and provide visual cues.

Goal- Balance multiple projects and identify potential cancer biomarkers and molecular targets.Thesis title- "Identifying and targeting cellular mechanisms to enhance cisplatin chemotherapeutic response in cancer"- Biomarker identification and validation for improving chemotherapeutic outcome - Preclinical cancer drug discovery- Screened and identified small molecules DNA repair inhibitors in primary and secondary screens in vitro and in vivo.- Identified new effector mechanism in maintaining platinum efficacy- Supervised research technicians, graduate and undergraduate students on lab rotations or research projects.

Molecular diagnostics for tumor markers.Molecular studies of familial colon cancer patients registered at GCRI.