News & Media

January 2026: Our work was featured in the UT MD Anderson Research Highlights for January 28, 2026: Blood biomarker points to increased risk of brain metastasis in patients with inflammatory breast cancer.

January 2026: Our work was published in Neuro-Oncology (Soluble E-cadherin–CXCL1–CXCR2 Axis as a Therapeutic Vulnerability in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Brain Metastasis).

January 2026: Dr. Villodre published a pre-print in medRxiv (Serum S100A8/S100A9 is associated with increased risk of brain metastasis in patients with inflammatory breast cancer).

December 2025: Dr. Hu and Dr. Tesfamariam presented their poster at 48th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.

August 2025: Isabella Longa Rizzo was named Employee of the Month in Breast Medical Oncology at UT MD Anderson.

June 2025: Dr. Hu published a pre-print in bioRxiv (Soluble E-cadherin Drives Brain Metastasis in Inflammatory Breast Cancer).

February 2025: Dr. Debeb and Dr. Woodward received a four-year major collaborative award with UT Austin, the UT MD Anderson/UT Austin Strategic Collaboration – Accelerator Grant for Transformative Research Endeavors.

December 2024: Dr. Hu and Dr. Villodre presented their poster at 47th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.

November 2024: Dr. Villodre presented her poster at the 2024 Brain Metastasis Research Retreat held at UT MD Anderson.

November 2024: Dr. Hu gave an oral presentation at the Brain Metastasis Research Retreat held at UT MD Anderson.

October 2024: Dr. Debeb and Dr. Villodre were awarded with the Cathy Rain Smith Immunotherapy Acceleration Grant.

July 2024:  Dr. Hu was awarded at 13th Annual Zeta Tau Alpha Houston Alumnae Association Fellowship in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research at UT MD Anderson.

May 20204: Dr. Villodre gave an oral presentation at the 18th Annual Breast Cancer Research & Education Program held at Baylor School of Medicine.

May 2024: Dr. Debeb received a multi-PI NIH/NCI R01 grant with Dr. Woodward (UT MD Anderson) and Dr. Rylander (UT Austin).

April 2024: Dr. Hu published in Life Science Alliance as a co-first author (Genome-wide CRISPR screen reveals the synthetic lethality between BCL2L1 inhibition and radiotherapy).

March 2024: Our work was published in Cancers (NDRGs in Breast Cancer: A Review and In Silico Analysis).

March 2024: Dr. Debeb received Bridge Funding from UT MD Anderson.

January 2024: Dr. Debeb was awarded with the DoD Breast Cancer Breakthrough from CDMRP Grant.

December 2023: Dr. Villodre presented their poster at 46th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.

September 2023: Dr. Debeb was promoted to Associate Professor of Breast Medical Oncology.

June 2023: Dr. Debeb was awarded as a co-investigator, the USAID-Egypt Collaborative Research Grant.

May 2023: Dr. Debeb was awarded a METAvivor Translational Research Award.

April 2023: Dr. Debeb and Dr. Muranen (co-PI, Harvard Medical School of Medicine) were awarded an American Cancer Society – TLC Grant.

January 2023: Dr. Debeb and Dr. Woodward were awarded the UT MD Anderson – ROSI Shark Tank Seed Grant.

January 2023: Dr. Debeb was named an EIAP (Early Investigator Advancement Program) Scholar by NCI – NIH.

December 2022: Dr. Hu delivered an oral presentation at 45th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.

December 2022: Dr. Villodre presented her poster at 45th Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.

December 2022: Dr. Villodre presented her poster at 7th International Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symposium: Understanding and Managing Aggressive Breast Cancer in Houston.

December 2022: Dr. Hu delivered an oral presentation at 7th International Inflammatory Breast Cancer Symposium: Understanding and Managing Aggressive Breast Cancer in Houston.

July 2022: Dr. Villodre was promoted to Instructor.       

July 2022: Dr. Hu was awarded at 11th Annual Zeta Tau Alpha Houston Alumnae Association Fellowship in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research at UT MD Anderson.

June 2022: Dr. Debeb received Bridge Funding from UT MD Anderson.

June 2022: Dr. Debeb received UT MD Anderson's Boot Walk to End Cancer® funding from the UT MD Anderson Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Program and Clinic.

January 2022: Dr. Debeb received UT MD Anderson’s Institutional Research Grant.

January 2022: Dr. Debeb and Dr. Woodward received a Team Science Grant from the UT MD Anderson Morgan Welch IBC Program and Clinic.

January 2022: Our work was featured on the UT MD Anderson Research Highlights for January 12, 2022: NDRG1 promotes brain metastasis in aggressive breast cancers.

January 2022: Dr. Hu was promoted to an Instructor.

December 2021: Our work was published in JNCI (NDRG1 in Aggressive Breast Cancer Progression and Brain Metastasis).

October 2021: Dr. Debeb received the Inflammatory Breast Cancer Program Team Science Grant from the UT MD Anderson Morgan Welch IBC Program and Clinic.

August 2021: Our work was published in Molecular Oncology (Lipocalin 2 promotes inflammatory breast cancer tumorigenesis and skin invasion).

May 2021: Dr. Villodre was awarded with the 2nd Place Oral Presentation Translational Research. 2021 Education Week Trainee Award at UT MD Anderson.

May 2021: Dr. Villodre received the Sheskey Family Fellowship in Breast Cancer Research.

April 2021: Dr. Debeb was listed as 'Scientists to Watch' 2021, The Scientist magazine.

February 2021: Our work was published in JoVE (Modeling Brain Metastasis Via Tail-Vein Injection of Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cells).

January 2021: Our work was published in Communications Biology (Decorin-mediated suppression of tumorigenesis, invasion, and metastasis in inflammatory breast cancer).

December 2020: Our work was published in Cancers (NDRG1 expression is an independent prognostic factor in inflammatory breast cancer).

October 2020: Dr. Hu and Dr. Villodre were each awarded with the 2019 UT MD Anderson's Boot Walk to End Cancer® Funding Award.

October 2020: Dr. Villodre was awarded with the 2nd Place Oral Presentation Clinical-Translational Science. 10th Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium at UT MD Anderson.

2020: Dr. Debeb was awarded with the American Cancer Society Research Scholar, American Cancer Society.

October 2019: Dr. Hu and Dr. Villodre were awarded with the IBC Fellowship, 8th Annual Zeta Tau Alpha Houston Alumnae Association in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research, Zeta Tau Alpha Houston Alumnae Association in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research.

September 2019: Dr. Villodre was awarded with the 3rd Place Poster Presentation Basic Research. 9th Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium UT MD Anderson.

October 2018: Dr. Villodre was awarded with the 3rd Place Oral Presentation Basic Research. 8th Annual Postdoctoral Science Symposium UT MD Anderson.

September 2018: Dr. Villodre was awarded with the SABCS Basic Science Scholarship.

2017: Dr. Debeb was awarded with the Jon Shevell Young Scientist Travel Scholarship, Susan G. Komen Foundation.

October 2017: Dr. Debeb was awarded with the IBC Fellowship, 5th Annual Zeta Tau Alpha Houston Alumnae Association in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research, Zeta Tau Alpha Houston Alumnae Association in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research.