PhD
Associate Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
UNC-Chapel Hill
Molecular Therapeutics
Area of Interest
My lab is focused on cancers that form in the lining of the uterus (endometrium). Despite continued increases in both incidence and mortality, endometrial cancer is an understudied disease. I am particularly interested in the earliest molecular changes that occur in the endometrium during cancer development related to obesity and hereditary DNA mismatch repair defects.
In parallel with human tissue-based studies, our team has developed an extensive suite of powerful preclinical tools (rodent models, organoids, and novel cell lines) to enable our research to delineate mechanisms of endometrial cancer development. The Yates lab has also implemented the use of spatial biology platforms to elucidate the biology of endometrial premalignancy in clinical specimens.
Our longer-term goal is to use these tools to define mechanisms related to environmental factors (obesity, hormones, and exposures linked with social determinants of health) that influence endometrial cancer development and disparities. Our studies ultimately aim to intercept cancer through the use of pharmacologic agents to prevent, block, or reverse endometrial cancer development and improve outcomes for women.
Awards and Honors
- President’s Faculty Excellence Award in Cancer Prevention or Outreach, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2022
- Faculty Recognition Award, University of Texas, MD Anderson, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2022
- Faculty Educator of the Quarter, University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 2020
- Faculty Recognition Award, University of Texas, MD Anderson, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 2019
