PhD
Professor, Oral and Craniofacial Health Science
UNC-Chapel Hill
Cancer Cell Biology
Area of Interest
My primary research focuses are oral cancer and DNA repair. I have studied cell cycle regulation and the DNA damage response (DDR) since my graduate research. I am particularly interested in the connection between these pathways and human cancer.
Dysregulation of these pathways has been established as a causal factor in cancer progression, and therapeutic solutions to improve cancer treatment through manipulating the DDR or cell cycle machinery are dearly sought. It is, however, imperative to delineate the mechanistic basis of these pathways in order to fully translate these studies into clinical benefits.
My ongoing research efforts are directed to characterize new mechanisms that confer oral cancer resistance to radiation, chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and to develop new therapeutic strategies that potentially improve the treatment outcome of human cancer.
Awards and Honors
- UNMC Distinguished Scientist Award, 2022
- Byron H. and Mary V. Weeth Professor of Dental Research, 2021
- New Investigator Award, UNMC, 2014
- Licensed Technology Award, UNMC/UNeMed, 2013
- New Invention Notification Award, UNMC/UNeMed, 2013
- New Invention Notification Award, UNMC/UNeMed, 2012
