Emily is a 6^th year MD/PhD candidate at Duke University School of Medicine, where she studies under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Fecci in the Duke Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program. Emily’s research focuses on characterizing MHC-I-independent CD8 T cell cytotoxicity as well as developing novel cancer therapies to combat tumor heterogeneity and antigen escape.

She previously completed a Master of Health Science in Duke University School of Medicine’s Clinical Research Training Program and an undergraduate degree in neuroscience from Northwestern University.

Outside of work, Emily enjoys spending time with her family and friends, baking & cake decorating, mountain biking, and glass blowing.

‍

HEALTHCARE ADVANCEMENT YOU HOPE TO SEE IN YOUR LIFETIME

‍I hope that personalized treatment for cancer becomes commonplace. Tumors are incredibly heterogeneous, both between patients, and on a cellular level within an individual tumor. Our treatment strategies must be equally diverse and tailored.

‍

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT

The manuscript of my PhD thesis work, which revolves around the groundbreaking discovery that CD8+ T cells can execute cytotoxicity against tumor cells in an antigen-independent and MHC-independent manner. This challenges the conventional understanding of how CD8 T cells kill tumors and suggests that individuals with MHC-I mutations can still benefit from CD8 T cell-dependent immunotherapies.

‍

GREATEST IMPACT IN TECH/HEALTH

One of the notable advancements in oncology in recent years is the success of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), especially in treating metastatic HER2+ breast cancer. ADCs demonstrate superior responses compared to monoclonal antibodies alone, even in cases of low target expression (such as HER2 low).