We would like to congratulate Jennifer Chung for winning a prestigious F30 award funded by the National Cancer Institute. Her project “Uncovering interactions of the gut microbiome with the immune system in the context of immune checkpoint inhibitors” presents an interdisciplinary approach to cancer biology that complements her efforts in the departments of genetics and immunology. In the lab, Jenn has been working to unravel the complex roles that the human microbiome plays in both health and disease. In particular, she is aiming to use this grant opportunity to investigate why cutting edge immune checkpoint inhibitor therapies seem to fail in many cancer patients and how gut microbes may dictate these variable response rates. Furthermore, she hopes that this funding opportunity will lay the foundations for her future career as a cancer specialist in the field of dermatology.
Jenn is currently in her 6th year with the program. Outside of her dedicated work in both lab and clinic she enjoys cooking gourmet foods, traveling, and recently began playing the guitar. Jenn would like to thank Maria Xu, Joe Ryan, Michael Chung, Grace Kwon, and Allie Goetjen as well as the greater MD/PhD community at UConn Health for the advice and support she received in applying for this award.