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Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor of Medicine · 2020 - Present Medicine, Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy, Medicine
Associate Research Professor in Pharmacology and Cancer Biology · 2017 - Present Pharmacology & Cancer Biology, Basic Science Departments
Member of the Duke Cancer Institute · 2013 - Present Duke Cancer Institute, Institutes and Centers
Affiliate of the Duke Regeneration Center · 2021 - Present Duke Regeneration Center, Basic Science Departments

In the News


Published July 30, 2024
How Breast Cancer Spreads to the Brain
Published July 18, 2018
Mystery Solved: How Lymphoblastic Leukemia Enters Central Nervous System
Published May 26, 2016
Scientists Block Breast Cancer Cells From Hiding in Bones

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Recent Publications


Leukaemia: a model metastatic disease.

Journal Article Nat Rev Cancer · July 2021 In contrast to solid cancers, which often require genetic modifications and complex cellular reprogramming for effective metastatic dissemination, leukaemic cells uniquely possess the innate ability for migration and invasion. Dedifferentiated, malignant l ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Leukaemia hijacks a neural mechanism to invade the central nervous system.

Journal Article Nature · August 2018 Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) has a marked propensity to metastasize to the central nervous system (CNS). In contrast to brain metastases from solid tumours, metastases of ALL seldom involve the parenchyma but are isolated to the leptomeninges, which ... Full text Link to item Cite

Dormant breast cancer micrometastases reside in specific bone marrow niches that regulate their transit to and from bone.

Journal Article Sci Transl Med · May 25, 2016 Breast cancer metastatic relapse can occur years after therapy, indicating that disseminated breast cancer cells (BCCs) have a prolonged dormant phase before becoming proliferative. A major site of disease dissemination and relapse is bone, although the cr ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Identifying and exploiting therapeutic vulnerabilities of tumor-host interactions that drive bone-to-meninges breast cancer metastasis

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2023 - 2028

The Duke Preparing Research scholars In bioMEdical sciences (PRIME): Cancer Research Program

ResearchPreceptor · Awarded by National Cancer Institute · 2023 - 2028

Duke Preparing Research Scholars in Biomedical Sciences- Post-Baccalaureate Research Education Program

Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institute of General Medical Sciences · 2022 - 2027

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Education, Training & Certifications


Stanford University, School of Medicine · 1999 M.D.
Stanford University, School of Medicine · 1999 Ph.D.