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Speakers

2022 Speakers

NabaAlexandra Naba, PhD
Assistant Professor, Physiology and Biophysics
University of Illinois, Chicago

Alexandra Naba is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at University of Illinois at Chicago. Alexandra obtained her Ph.D from the Curie Institute (Paris, France) and completed her postdoctoral training at MIT under the mentorship of Richard Hynes. There, she pioneered the use of proteomics to study the composition of the extracellular matrix through the development of the Matrisome Project (http://matrisome.org). The Naba lab focuses on deciphering the roles of the novel ECM glycoprotein, SNED1, in breast cancer metastasis and embryonic development. Her laboratory also continues to develop bioinformatic and proteomic methods to further our understanding of the multi-faceted role of the ECM in cancer progression and metastasis. Alexandra published over 25 peer-reviewed publications and two patents, received numerous invitations to speak at national and international conferences. She serves as a member of the editorial board of Matrix Biology and on the councils of the American Society for Matrix Biology and of the International Society for Matrix Biology. Alexandra received the 2018 Rupert Timpl award from the International Society for Matrix Biology and the 2018 Junior Investigator award from the American Society for Matrix Biology, recognizing her contributions to extracellular matrix research.


Aubie ShawAubie Shaw, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Biomedical Sciences
University of Minnesota

Aubie Shaw, PhD, studies the role of the tumor microenvironment in carcinoma metastasis using 3-dimensional cultures. She completed her doctoral research on stromal-epithelial embryonic signaling pathways in prostate cancer with Wade Bushman at the University of Wisconsin-Madison McArdle Laboratory. Her postdoctoral research examined microenvironmental TGFbeta signaling in breast cancer with Hal Moses at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the immune microenvironment with Lisa Coussens at Oregon Health & Science University. She has been an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School for 4 years where she teaches medical histology.  Research in the Shaw lab focuses on the interaction between three cell types in the tumor microenvironment (carcinoma cells, fibroblasts and myeloid cells) in mediating tumor metastasis. Our research has shown that secreted factors from myeloid cells encourage the invasion of fibroblasts (leader fibroblasts); and this directly increases carcinoma cell invasion. Although we have identified some proteins that mediate this activity, our current work is examining the roles of RNAs in exosomes. Other research investigates the growth and metastasis of cancer cells from in vitro 3D microtumors to 3D metastatic sites using a novel defined biomimetic matrix.


dhanasekaranDanny Dhanasekaran, PhD
Editor in Chief
Journal of Molecular Signaling
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
Director, MTCRO-COBRE & Center for Basic Cancer Research
Deputy Director for Basic Research
Stephenson Cancer Center, OUHSC

Dr. Danny Dhanasekaran received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from the Indian Institute of Science, India in 1985.  Upon completion of his postdoctoral studies at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin and National Jewish Center for Cancer Research and Respiratory Medicine at Denver, Colorado, he joined the faculty of Fels Institute for Cancer research and Molecular Biology at the Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia in 1992. In 2009 he joined the faculty of the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center as the Professor of Cell Biology and Samuel Noble Foundation Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at the Peggy and Charles Stephenson Cancer Center.  As the Deputy Director for Basic Research of the Stephenson Cancer Center, he directs an coordinates the basic research activities with translational research focus. Dr. Dhanasekaran’s major findings include the identification of distinct oncogenic pathways regulated by the closely related gep oncogenes, namely G12 and G13 (Dhanasekaran & Dermott, 1996), the stimulation of specific MAP-kinase modules by these oncogenic proteins (Prasad et al., 1995; Goldsmith & Dhanasekaran, 2007), the role of G12 in ovarian cancer genesis and progression (Goldsmith et al., 2011; Ward & Dhanasekaran, 2012; Ha et al., 2013), and the role of G13 in promoting growth factor stimulated invasive metastasis (Gardner et al., 2012).  His current research is focused on defining the mechanisms by which growth factors and oncogenes promote epithelial mesenchymal transition and invasive metastasis in cancer cells.


ChenGrace Yi Chen, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
University of Michigan

Dr. Grace Chen is an Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology of the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan.  After graduating from Harvard University with a B.A. in Physics, she joined the Medical Scientist Training Program at Stony Brook University where she received a Ph.D in Genetics, and then transferred to the University of Michigan to complete her M.D.  She then did a combined Internal Medicine residency and Hematology/Oncology fellowship as part of the Physician-Scientist Training Program at the University of Michigan.  Upon completion of her fellowship training, Dr. Chen joined the faculty in 2009 and has specialized in the treatment of patients with gastrointestinal cancers.  Dr. Chen’s laboratory studies host-microbial interactions in the development of inflammation and cancer in the colon.


Peng

Guangyong Peng, M.D., Ph.D
Professor of Medicine and Immunobiology
Department of Internal Medicine
Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Dr. Peng is a Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy & Immunology of Department of Internal Medicine at the Saint Louis University. Dr. Peng obtained his MD from Jiangsu University and PhD from Chinese Academy of Preventive Medicine in China. A major research interest in Dr. Peng’s group is focused on identifying the roles of different subsets of tumor-infiltrating T cells in the suppressive tumor microenvironment using in vitro with human cells derived from cancer patients, and in vivo in different types of tumor models, including lung, colon, breast cancers and melanoma, et al.  Another area of interest involves the development of strategies to overcome immunosuppression induced by regulatory tumor-infiltrating T cells and tumor cells for enhanced tumor-immunity and immunotherapy using innate signaling (TLR ligands), metabolic and epigenetic regulations.  Dr. Peng’s lab recently discovered a novel suppressive mechanism whereby regulatory T (Treg) cells and malignant tumor cells induce senescence in effector T cells that then exhibit potent suppressive activity and amplify immune suppression. Therefore, his lab has been focused on understanding the cellular and molecular processes that control tumor and Treg-induced senescence in tumor-specific T cells, which is essential for the development of effective strategies to treat human cancer.


LittlepageLaurie Littlepage, Ph.D.
Campbell Family Associate Professor of Cancer Research
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Harper Cancer Research Institute
University of Notre Dame

Dr. Laurie Littlepage is the Campbell Family Associate Professor of Cancer Research at the University of Notre Dame in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Harper Cancer Research Institute. She is a member at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center of the Tumor Microenvironment and Metastasis Program and of the Breast Cancer Research Program. Dr. Littlepage received her postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco in the laboratory of Dr. Zena Werb. She received her Ph.D. in Cell and Developmental Biology from Harvard University for her research in the laboratory of Joan Ruderman at Harvard Medical School. She received a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.S. in Molecular Biology from the University of Texas at Austin and was in Phi Beta Kappa. The long-term goals of the Littlepage lab are to identify predictive markers, therapeutic targets, and therapies that overcome cancer metastasis and resistance to treatment, particularly in metastatic breast cancer. Her research aims to understand how poor prognostic cancer evolves over time within physiological microenvironments and in response to treatment, ultimately defying and circumventing current therapies, both in the primary tissue and at the metastatic site. She uses integrated biological approaches, including animal models, organotypic culture models, and systems biology. Littlepage was the Chair of the 5th Annual Midwest Tumor Microenvironment Meeting held in 2019 at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana. She is a recipient of the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award and the Indiana CTSI Young Investigator Award. Research in her lab has been supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute/National Institutes of Health, American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award, Kelly Cares Foundation, Indiana CTSI, Mary Kay Foundation, Walther Cancer Foundation, SAS Foundation for Cancer Research, and St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center.


ArendtLisa Arendt, PhD
Professor
University of Wisconsin

Dr. Arendt completed doctorates in Veterinary Medicine and Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.   Following post-doctoral training at Tufts University, Dr. Arendt joined the Department of Comparative Biosciences in the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an Assistant Professor.  The work from her lab focuses on understanding how obesity promotes breast cancer risk and tumor progression to metastasis.  Dr. Arendt is a member of the Endocrine Society and an editorial board member for Endocrinology.


SolorioLuis Solorio, PhD
Assistant Professor
Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering
Purdue University

Luis Solorio, PhD is the director of the Tumor Microenvironment & Therapeutics Lab (TMET) at Purdue University, which focuses on applying principles of tissue engineering, medical imaging, and drug delivery for the development of modular 3D tissue-engineered constructs that can be used to evaluate the cancer cell response to microenvironmental cues. He joined the faculty at Purdue University in 2016 as an Assistant Professor in the Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. He is a U.S. Army veteran who proudly served for 5 years immediately after graduating high school. Dr. Solorio has been trained in both engineering and chemistry, obtaining a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry from Saint Louis University in St. Louis in 2006.  Dr. Solorio received his M.S. degree in Biomedical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2007 working with Dr. Jan Stegemann exploring methods of growth factor delivery to drive differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. Dr. Solorio then received his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University in 2012 with Dr. Agata Exner focusing on the use of medical imaging to guide the design and development of controlled release platforms.


ArispeLuisa Iruela-Arispe, PhD
Chair, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology
Stephen Walter Ranson Professor of Cell Biology
Professor of Cell and Developmental BIology

After completing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral training, Dr. Iruela-Arispe joined Harvard Medical School as Assistant Professor in the Department of Pathology. In 1998, she was recruited to UCLA where she ascended through the professorial ranks culminating in Distinguished Professor in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology. At UCLA she became the first women to direct the prestigious Molecular Biology Institute and also chaired the Interdepartmental Molecular Biology Graduate program, the main graduate program in biosciences with over 150 graduate students. She taught Cell Biology to undergraduate students for 20 years and built an internationally recognized research group in angiogenesis during development and diseased particularly in relation to cancer.  She has been continuously funded by the NIH and has received several awards from DOD, AHA, and other foundations. She was the founding director of the Vascular Biology Training Program at UCLA that under her leadership was supported by a T32 for 20 years. Her research efforts amount to over 200 published peer review research articles and reviews with substantial contributions to the field of vascular biology. She was president of the North American Vascular Biology Organization and contributed in several leadership forms to other organizations and societies such as AHA, AACR, and ASCB. In the Fall of 2019, Dr. Iruela-Arispe was recruited to Northwestern to Chair the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology and continue to make breakthroughs in her research area. Currently, she is also a member of the NHLBI Council to the Director and the NCI Intramural Advisory Board.


MaglianoMarina Pasca di Magliano, PhD  
Maude T Lane Professor

Department of Surgery and Cell and Developmental Biology
Co-Leader, Cancer Biology Program, Comprehensive Cancer Center
Admissions Director, Cancer Biology Graduate Program
University of Michigan Medical School

Dr Pasca di Magliano obtained her PhD at the Institute for Molecular Pathology in Vienna, Austria.  She then joined the laboratory of Dr Matthias Hebrok at the University of California, San Francisco, for her postdoctoral training. The Hebrok laboratory studied embryonic signaling pathways in the development and disease of pancreatic islets; Dr Pasca di Magliano’s research branched out to pancreatic cancer, revealing a role for Hedgehog and Wnt signaling in this disease. Dr Pasca di Magliano joined the faculty at the University of Michigan in 2008, raising through the ranks to Full Professor in 2020. Her laboratory studies the role of oncogenic KRAS, the hallmark mutation of pancreatic cancer, in the regulation of the establishment and maintenance of the pancreatic cancer stroma. Her team developed a mouse model of inducible and reversible expression of oncogenic Kras, which they used to interrogate oncogenic addition to KRAS and the crosstalk between immune cells and pancreatic cancer cells.  Her work uses using genetically engineered mouse models is complemented by the use of human pancreatic cancer samples to dissect the components of the microenvironment and their reciprocal interactions. 


PhilipMary Philip, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
Division of Hematology-Oncology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Dr. Mary Philip is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology and Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Dr. Philip received her BS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University and her MD and PhD in cancer biology from the University of Chicago. She completed Internal Medicine Residency training at the University of Chicago before going to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/University of Washington in Seattle for Hematology/Oncology fellowship training. There Dr. Philip received a National Cancer Institute K08 career development award and an American Society of Hematology Scholar Award. Dr. Philip then joined Dr. Andrea Schietinger’s group at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to decipher the epigenetic regulation of tumor-specific T cell dysfunction in solid tumors, work published in Nature (2017, 2019). Dr. Philip received the V Foundation Scholar Award in 2018.  Dr. Philip’s research group at Vanderbilt is developing innovative models to dissect the earliest epigenetic and transcriptional events that occur in T cells encountering neoantigens in developing tumors.


DwinellMichael Dwinell, PhD
Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Director, Center for Immunology
Medical College of Wisconsin

For over 20 years Dr. Dwinell’s research has been investigating the cellular, biochemical, molecular and pathophysiologic mechanisms of inflammation in cancer in an effort to discover new therapeutic avenues to improve human health. His training at the University of Wisconsin and the University of California, San Diego, coupled with his experience as PI on several NIH R01 applications, charitable foundations and local MCW peer-reviewed grants, establish a strong scientific research foundation to complete the proposed work.  Dr. Dwinell is on the editorial board of the Journal of Biological Chemistry and is a standing member of the Tumor Microenvironment study section. An integral part of his research program is successfully forging productive interdisciplinary research teams, which continue to produce peer-reviewed publications.


HenryMichael D. Henry, PhD
Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics,
Pathology, Radiation Oncology and Urology
Deputy Director for Research, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine

I have been a faculty member in the Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics since 2004.  The long-term research goals of my laboratory are to understand the molecular and cellular basis of cancer progression and metastasis in order to develop new methods for the diagnosis and treatment of this lethal aspect of cancer. Our current efforts are focused on how cancer cells respond to hemodynamic forces while in the bloodstream.  I also serve in a senior leadership position as the Deputy Director for Research for the Holden Comprehensive Cancer.  Prior to starting my lab at Iowa, I was a senior scientist in the Cancer Pharmacology at Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in Cambridge, MA for 5 years.  I earned a PhD in Biology in 1995 from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a BS in Genetics in 1989 from the University of Georgia.  Since 2007, I have served on many NIH, DOD and other review panels.  I was the Chair of the Tumor Progression and Metastasis (TPM) study section from 2012-2014.


VansaunMichael VanSaun, PhD
Assistant Professor, Cancer Biology
University of Kansas Medical Center

Dr. VanSaun is an Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He completed his PhD at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2004 under the mentorship of Dr. Werle. He then undertook his postdoctoral studies at Vanderbilt University to study extracellular matrix remodeling in cancer progression under Dr. Lynn Matrisian. Dr. VanSaun’s research focuses on determining the molecular mechanism through which obesity potentiates the development and progression of cancer. Specifically, his lab investigates how adipose tissue derived factors, or adipokines, effect tumor progression through rewiring of the cancer cell transcriptome. They are also interested in reciprocal crosstalk of how tumor cells communicate with adipocytes. Dr. VanSaun’s lab uses in vitro as well as genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic cancer and human patient samples to decipher the crosstalk and find novel therapeutics targets.


WendtMichael K. Wendt, PhD
Associate Professor
Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology
Purdue University

Dr. Wendt is currently a tenured Associate Professor at Purdue University in the Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and the Purdue Center for Cancer Research. His lab is currently funded by a Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society and an two R01s from the NCI. Dr. Wendt has a longstanding expertise in cancer biology and pharmacology. In addition to major contributions to the understanding of the molecular mediators of cancer metastasis, he has pioneered new technologies in bioluminescent imaging that allow for in vivo detection and sensitive quantification of particular signaling modules within the microenvironments of primary versus metastatic tumors. Through the use of these techniques, Dr. Wendt has illustrated the critical importance of chemokines, extracellular matrix proteins, and growth factor signaling pathways in facilitating the dissemination and ultimate metastasis of mammary tumors. Dr. Wendt’s expertise in epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) propels his research in the fields of drug resistance and metastatic tumor dormancy and allows me to sustain a highly productive research program.


SinghPankaj Singh, PhD
Professor
Epply Institute
University of Nebraska Medical Center

Dr. Singh’s long-term goals are to identify/characterize metabolic genes/pathways/therapeutic targets for effective clinical treatment of metastatic solid tumors. From his Ph.D., Dr. Singh has a broad background in pancreatic cancer biology, with specific training and expertise in key research areas for this application. As a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute, he worked with genetically engineered mouse models to study cancer metabolism. At the Salk Institute, Dr. Singh was co-mentored by Dr. Marc Montminy, a National Academy of Sciences member and metabolism researcher, and Dr. Geoffrey M. Wahl, a former AACR president who leads a Cancer Research Focus Group at the Salk Institute. Dr. Singh significantly benefited from their profound insights and understanding of metabolism and cancer biology. He is currently a Professor at the Eppley Institute for Cancer Research and a Co-leader for the Molecular & Biochemical Etiology Program at Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. Their NCI-designated Cancer Center houses a strong Pancreatic Cancer Research Focus Group. Dr. Singh’s ongoing research addresses the highly significant but relatively understudied utility of metabolic alterations in devising personalized therapies and for improving the quality of life for pancreatic cancer patients. His team has the expertise and long-standing interest in studying metabolic alterations that regulate stemness, tumorigenesis, and therapy response.


ProvenzanoPaolo Provenzano, PhD
Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering
University of Minnesota

Paolo Provenzano is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota.  He is Director of the Center for Multiparametric Imaging of Tumor Immune Microenvironments (C-MITIE) and a project leader and executive committee member of the NCI-designated University of Minnesota Physical Sciences in Oncology Center.   Dr. Provenzano's current research interests center on defining how complex physical and chemical interactions drive cancer progression to metastasis and developing novel therapeutic strategies to combat disease by re-engineering the tumor stroma and employing rational engineering strategies to engineer cell-based therapeutics. 


UmarShahid Umar, PhD, AGAF
Professor, Surgery
University of Kansas Medical Center

Dr. Shahid Umar, PhD, is a Professor of Surgery and the Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Surgery at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Dr. Umar completed his PhD from Central Drug Research Institute in India in 1993 and has been serving as a faculty in various institutions within the United States since 2001. Dr. Umar joined our faculty in 2011 and currently serves as the Vice Chair of Research for the Department of Surgery. Dr. Umar’s research in Dr. Umar’s laboratory is focused on the role of enteric pathogens in cell proliferation, cellular transformation and neoplasia. His laboratory is also investigating the role of gut microbiome in colon cancer and if changes in gut bacteria can lead to drug resistance. Finally, his laboratory is also developing pre/probiotics to boost the immune system by promoting good bacteria in the gut.


AnantShrikant Anant, PhD
Professor
University of Kansas Medical Center

Dr. Anant earned a B.Sc. in zoology and a M.Sc. in medical microbiology from the University of Madras in India, a M.Sc. in microbiology from Michigan State University, and a PhD in molecular genetics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Anant joined The University of Kansas Cancer Center in 2010 as an associate director. He led a team of researchers who discovered multiple RNA binding proteins such as RBM3 and CELF2 that play a role in tumor and stromal cells. , In addition, he discovered the rare, quiescent cancer stem cells in colon and pancreatic cancers. Dr. Anant was a key figure in the discovery and development of Fosciclopirox Prodrug, KU Cancer Center's first anticancer drug to go from bench to bedside. He was also the recipient of the 2017 KU Chancellors Club Research Award. Dr. Anant’s research in the laboratory is focused on various aspects of cancer biology at the molecular level including cancer stem cells, and regulation of gene expression at the levels of mRNA stability and translation, especially in various cells in the tumor microenvironment.


LeeSteve Seung-Young Lee, PhD
Assistant Professor
Pharmaceutical Science
University of Illinois at Chicago

Steve Seung-Young Lee received his B.S. degree from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Hongik University (South Korea) in 2004. He then received his M.S. degree from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST) (South Korea). After working as a research associate at Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) (South Korea), he joined the Ph.D. program at the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University (West Lafayette, IN). After successful doctoral training, he moved to the University of Chicago (Chicago, IL) for his postdoctoral research. His postdoctoral research was to develop a multiplex three-dimensional imaging cytometry for tumor immune microenvironment. Now he is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences/College of Pharmacy at University of Illinois at Chicago (Chicago, IL). To date, he has received multiple awards and grants including NIH NIBIB K99/R00 and Susan G. Komen fellowship. He has published 34 peer-reviewed papers, 1 book chapter, and 5 technical patents.


PradeepSunila Pradeep, PhD
Assistant Professor
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Medical College of Wisconsin

Dr. Sunila Pradeep is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Dr. Pradeep completed her Ph.D. in Immunology and then continued her postdoctoral research at the Weizmann institute of science, Israel, where she worked on developing novel strategies to inhibit angiogenesis. Then she joined the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center as an Instructor and worked on the role of EGF family growth factors on hematological metastasis in ovarian cancer and the mechanisms of chemoresistance in ovarian cancer patients. She is the recipient by Liz Tilberis Early Career Development Award from the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation Alliance and Caring Together, NY Ovarian Cancer Research Grant from the Foundation for Women’s Cancer Research.  Dr. Pradeep’s research interest is centered on developing strategies to overcome immune suppression, drug resistance, and identifying novel combination therapy to inhibit the progression and metastasis of women’s cancer.


AttardThomas M. Attard, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Medicine
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Kansas School of Medicine
Medical Director Polyposis Center
Children’s Mercy Kansas City

Dr. Attard earned his medical degree from the University of Malta Medical School.  He completed his Fellowship in Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Research at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and his Residency in Pediatrics at Creighton University/University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Attard is broadly interested and active in defining management of children with hereditary polyposis syndromes and hereditary predisposition to intestinal cancer, chemoprevention of polyp progression and microbiome modulation of polyp growth. He is interested in health services research and its clinical applicability in diverse pediatric gastrointestinal scenarios ranging from procedure complications and outcomes to gastrointestinal disorder profiling in autism. Dr. Attard is actively involved in faculty development using HSR tools to enhance division-wide academic productivity.


SongYoung Hye Song, PhD
Assistant Professor
Biomedical Engineering
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Young Hye Song earned her PhD in Biochemical Engineering from Cornell University and her postdoc in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Florida. She holds a BS in chemical engineering with additional major in biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Song’s  lab studies tumor microenvironment (with a focus on cancer-nerve crosstalk) and traumatic nerve injuries using tissue engineered models.  Her current work in the lab is supported by the NIH, PhRMA Foundation, Arkansas Biosciences Institute, Arkansas Breast Cancer Research Program, and several internal awards from the University of Arkansas including Chancellor’s Fund for Innovation and Collaboration.  Young Hye is currently Project Leader of a recently established Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (funded by NIH P20 COBRE), where her lab studies the role of dysregulated cellular metabolism in breast tumor innervation.