Start Year: 2020

Career and Research Goals

My primary research interest involves investigating novel allogeneic cellular therapy and stem cell transplant strategies in the treatment of advanced hematologic malignancies. With Dr. Matthew McKinney and Dr. Richard Lopez, we are currently designing an early phase clinical trial studying an ex vivo phosphoantigen-expanded gamma-delta T cell immunotherapy targeting aggressive B cell lymphomas and acute leukemias. On the transplant side, under the mentorship of Dr. Mitchell Horwitz and Dr. Anthony Sung, I have been working on secondary analyses assessing health-related quality of life and the long-term durability of omidubicel, an ex vivo expanded stem cell product derived from umbilical cord blood. My research in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation has also expanded to explore the use of Syk inhibition in the prevention and treatment of chronic graft versus host disease, under the guidance of Dr. Stefanie Sarantopoulos and Dr. Mitchell Horwitz. My other clinical/research interests include tele-oncology and ctDNA biomarkers..

What are the strengths of the Duke program?

I believe the real strength of the Duke hematology/oncology fellowship program comes from the people who work here. The faculty are wonderful mentors and are incredibly supportive of both your personal and academic goals. The work environment here is also quite collegial and prioritizes your learning. The attendings, pharmacists, and APPs/PAs are all very invested in your education and will go out of their way on a busy clinical day to help you learn the skills you need to become a successful hematologist/oncologist. Fellowship can be very challenging, especially in the first year, but knowing you are supported as a new fellow makes all the difference in your education and quality of life.