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CPRIT Graduate Scholars
CONGRATULATIONS 2024-2025 SCHOLARS
We are excited to announce the 2024-2025 MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Graduate Scholar Award recipients!
This prestigious award is granted annually to exceptional post-candidacy graduate students mentored by faculty at MD Anderson. Recipients receive a stipend, tuition coverage, fringe benefits, and a modest travel allowance, all while being trained in internationally recognized research facilities to enhance their research experience.
The CPRIT Research Training Program focuses on fundamental and innovative cancer research training. It includes the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Program, CPRIT TRIUMPH Postdoctoral Program, and CPRIT Summer Undergraduate Programs, directed by Drs. Khandan Keyomarsi and Stephanie Watowich, who designed the program for post-candidacy graduate students attending the MD Anderson UTHealth Graduate School under the direct mentorship of MD Anderson Cancer Center-appointed faculty.
We take pride in these emerging leaders whose dedication inspires us all. Let’s congratulate our awardees on this remarkable achievement!
Current Students
Current Graduate Scholars
Hong Anh (Nikki) Cao
Dr. Daniel Frigo Laboratory - Molecular Translational Biology
pcao1@mdanderson.org- ORCiD:0000-0002-9171-8434
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2024-Present
Hong Anh (Nikki) Cao 's Research Interests:
Shao-Hsi (Paul) Hung
Dr. Cassian Yee Laboratory- Immunology Program
shung@mdanderson.org- ORCiD: 000-0001-5811-3444
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2023-Present
Shao-Hsi (Paul) Hung obtained his B.S. in Animal Sciences from National Taiwan University (NTU) in 2017. Throughout his undergraduate studies, he served as a research assistant at Academia Sinica where he was mentored Dr. Han-Chung Wu. His involvement encompassed multiple projects, including the investigation of EpCAM signaling's impact on the progression of colon cancer, as well as the utilization of phage-display techniques to identify therapeutic monoclonal antibodies targeting EpCAM. Paul joined the MD Anderson UTHealth GSBS Ph.D. program in Fall 2019 and initiated his thesis research, guided by the mentorship of Dr. Cassian Yee.
Paul’s Research Interests:
My research focuses on a) identifying immunogenic peptide epitopes and generates corresponding antigen-specific cytotoxic T cells against various cancer types; b) dissecting tumor-intrinsic immune resistance regulators by utilizing in vivo CRIPSR-KO screen.
Spencer Lea
Dr. Michael Curran Laboratory - Immunology Program
stlea@mdanderson.org - ORCiD: 0000-0002-6804-8567
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2023-Present
Spencer earned his B.A. with highest honors in Chemical Biology from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee in 2019. As an undergraduate, Spencer studied the P53 family of proteins in the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in the laboratory of Dr. Jennifer Pietenpol. His work focused on the impact of mutant P53 on genomic instability, aneuploidy, and exosomal biology, for which he completed an undergraduate honors thesis with highest honors. Since matriculating into the GSBS in Fall 2019, Spencer has earned multiple research awards including the Dean’s Excellence Scholarship (2019-2021), the Andrew Sowell-Wade Huggins Scholarship in Cancer Research (2022), and the TL1 translational research fellowship (2021-2023).
Spencer’s Research Interests:
In the Curran lab, Spencer studies synergy between cGAS-STING pathway activation and therapeutic phagocytosis enhancement to reverse glioblastoma tumor-immune privilege and prime adaptive anti-glioma CD8 T cell responses.
Kaylene Lu
Dr. Jian Hu Laboratory - Cancer Biology
klu3@mdanderson.org – ORCiD: 0000-0003-4200-6251
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2021-Present
Kaylene earned her B.S. in Biology with highest honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021. As an undergraduate, Kaylene dissected the mechanisms of novel EGFR protein degraders and evaluated their efficacy for the treatment of lung cancer in the lab of Dr. Yue Xiong at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her significant contributions led to the publication of two articles in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. Kaylene matriculated into MD Anderson UTHealth Houston GSBS in 2021. She is currently pursuing her PhD in the Cancer Biology Program under the mentorship of Dr. Jian Hu. Her research is supported by the American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research, Pauline Altman-Goldstein Discovery Fellowship, and the Dr. John J. Kopchick Fellowship.
Kaylene’s Research Interests
Kaylene’s research in the Hu Lab focuses on delineating mechanisms underlying dysregulated lipid metabolism and genome instability in glioblastoma for the identification of novel therapeutic strategies.
Jayanta Mondal
Dr. Jason Huse Laboratory - Cancer Biology
JMondal@mdanderson.org – ORCiD:0000-0002-2145-9692
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2024-Present
Sarah Schneider
Dr. Stephanie Watowich- Immunology and Cancer Biology
sschneider1@mdanderson.org-ORCiD: 0000-0001-7027-7978
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2024-Present
Haoyi Wu
Dr. Don Gibbons Laboratory -Immunology Program
hwu7@mdanderson.org- ORCiD: 0000-0002-5984-027X
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2023-Present
Haoyi earned her Biochemistry (BS Honors) and French minor from The University of Texas at Austin in 2020. In UT Austin, Haoyi started her research career by joining the Virtual Drug Screening stream of the Freshman Research Initiative program. In the program, she learned basic experimental design, in vitro molecular biology techniques, and in silico drug screening using GOLD/ICM. Haoyi then mentored new students in the program before starting her position as an undergraduate research assistant at Dr. Yan Zhang’s lab. In the lab, Haoyi worked on elucidating the binding mechanisms of a covalent inhibitor of a CTD phosphatase as a potential glioblastoma treatment. In the summer of 2019, Haoyi worked in Dr. David Tweardy’s laboratory as part of the CPRIT-CURE Summer Undergraduate Program. In Dr. Tweardy’s lab, Haoyi helped determine the binding-specificity of a STAT3 inhibitor. This summer experience helped Haoyi identify her interest in cancer research. Haoyi immediately transitioned into PhD studies after her undergraduate education. Haoyi is now a part of the Immunology Program at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Haoyi’s Research Interests:
In the Gibbons Lab, Haoyi works on identifying novel mechanisms of immunotherapy resistance in non-small cell lung cancer for therapeutic targeting.
Shao-Ping (Emily) Yang
Dr. Dihua Yu Laboratory -Immunology and Cancer Biology Programs
syang7@mdanderson.org- ORCiD: 0000-0002-4721-7296
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2023-Present
Er-Yen Yen, M.S.
Dr. Guilio Draetta Laboratory -Cancer Biology Program
eyen@mdanderson.org- ORCiD: 0000-0003-2918-5419
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2021-Present
Er-Yen (Nick) received his B.S. in Life Science from National Taiwan University. He later furthered his education with a Master’s degree in Anatomy and Cell Biology at National Taiwan University. Under the mentorship of Dr. I-Rue Lai, a physician scientist specializing in gastrointestinal oncology, Nick’s thesis project examined the roles of gastric cancer-derived exosomes in establishing a pre-metastatic niche in the peripheral lymph node. After graduation, Nick worked as a research assistant specializing in imaging analysis in Dr. Feng-Chiao Tsai’s lab. Under the supervision of Dr. Guilio Draetta and Dr. Andrea Viale, Nick’s work has been awarded the Rosalie B. Hite Fellowship (2021) as well as the Andrew Sowell-Wade Huggins Scholarships in Cancer Research (2019).
Er-Yen's Research Interests:
My research focuses on spatial heterogeneity of pancreatic cancer and characterizing interaction between subclones and their surrounding microenvironment as an approach of identifying potential therapeutic target.
Scholars Pending Graduation
Mary Fuentes, B.S.
Dr. Pawel Mazur Laboratory - Cancer Biology Program
ORCiD: 0000-0002-8044-2313
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2021-2024
Current Position: GSBS Ph.D. Student
Mary earned her B.S. in Cellular and Molecular Biochemistry from the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). As an undergraduate, Mary participated as a teaching and research assistant for the Work with A Scientist Program where she mentored high school students and conducted a research project evaluating the antioxidant activity and in vitro cytotoxicity of novel compounds for neurodegenerative diseases. Additionally, Mary was accepted in the 2016 cohort of the UTEP Minority Health International Research Training (MHIRT) Program. In this program, Mary performed research at the Health Research Institute in the University of Costa Rica. With the mentorship of Dr. Kenia Barrantes-Jiménez, Mary focused on evaluating the antimicrobial, antiviral, and in vitro cytotoxicity of synthetic surfactants to assess their potential therapeutic implications. Since joining the Cancer Biology Ph.D. program at MD Anderson UTHealth GSBS, Mary has earned several awards for her research and community outreach efforts including the Sylvan Rodriguez Foundation honoring George M. Stancel, PhD (2019), the American Legion Auxiliary Fellowship in Cancer Research (2019), the Fadine Jackson Roquemore Scholarship in Cancer Research (2020), and the Student InterCouncil (SIC) Positive Impact Scholarship (2021). Mary's research focus involves identifying and targeting epigenetic vulnerabilities in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs) using patient derived (PDX) samples, novel in vivo models, and cutting-edge research technologies.
Mary is currently working to complete her Ph.D. at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Wen-Hao Hsu, M.S.
Dr. Ronald DePinho Laboratory- Cancer Biology program
ORCiD: 0000-0001-9050-8227
CPRIT Graduate Scholar 2021-2024
Current Position: GSBS Ph.D. Student
Wen-Hao (Howard) Hsu received his master’s degree in science in Oral Biology from Taiwan University. During his graduate studies, he focused on the biological functions of pluripotency genes and growth factors in head and neck cancer progression. He found that connective tissue growth factor activates NANOG, SOX2, and POU5F1, and inhibits metastasis in head and neck cancer. After graduation he worked at as a research technician in National Yang-Ming University and was trained extensively in stem cell biology, genetics, and epigenetics. He joined the GSBS for his Ph.D. training in 2018. For his thesis research, he is investigating the role of telomere dysfunction using a colorectal cancer mouse model, especially studying for the genomic and transcriptomic events driving metastasis in colorectal cancer. He expects his work to contribute to clinical prevention and therapy of colorectal cancer metastasis.
Wen-Hao is currently working to complete his Ph.D. at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.
Announcements & News
Applications are no longer being accepted for FY24. Please check back in the spring of 2024 for details on the FY25 cycle.
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