I am an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation (HOT) at the University of Minnesota (UMN). Here, I am developing a career in which I have deep passion and pride in – to promote a culture of hope in the community of cancer care. My laboratory focuses on systems biology approaches to identify genes that are potential therapeutic targets or biomarkers in patients with cancer.

To drive this mission, I have leveraged my leadership and research efforts here at the UMN. My laboratory utilizes omic data from tumors to interrogate gene behavior in cancer. Particularly, we are interested in the discovery of novel target genes, gaining insights into genes that promote therapy resistance, and utilizing omic data to improve patient stratification of clinical trials for cancer patients. Institutionally, I lead Masonic Cancer Center (MCC) research efforts to aggregate and interpret genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic data, as well as patient health records with the focus on improving patient outcomes. I am optimistic that cancer patients who have exhausted all their options may one day have a promising treatment through our research.

Equal to my passion for research, I believe that providing education opportunities and a growth mindset is a great way to reciprocate what I have received up until today. At the UMN, I lead educational efforts such as the HOT internship program, specialized training programs, and lectures. I mentor over 10 undergraduate, graduate, staff, and medical students in my laboratory with highly diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. I am dedicated to the success and development of our next generation of physicians and scientists, as I anticipate they will bring hope to the cancer community.