Three outstanding scientists lead cutting-edge research to unlock the complexity of cancer

Throughout September and October, the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix is highlighting women researchers and faculty who are teaching, mentoring and leading others in academic medicine.

The special coverage is part of Women in Medicine and Science month (September), an initiative of the American Medical Association, which is highlighting advocacy of women physicians and scientists and health issues impacting female patients. The theme is “Celebrating Our Legacy, Embracing Our Future.”

Suwon Kim, PhD, unravels the complexity of cancer cells by focusing on the molecular makeup of malignant cells. Working with scientists at multiple institutions, she is developing new treatments using precision medicine. Aparna Sertil, PhD, wants to know how cancer reappears after a patient has been cured. Karen Taraszka Hastings, MD, PhD, studies how the body’s immune system reacts to skin cancer cells. She hopes to figure out how use a patient’s own body to fight off cancer cells. All three understand the importance of collaboration, and with a disease as pervasive as cancer, they recognize the value of teamwork.

Learn more about these exceptional women scientists and physicians and their important work:

Suwon Kim, PhD, is an associate professor in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. 

Dr. Kim’s research focuses on deciphering the molecular mechanisms of cancer in order to develop better therapy and prevention strategies. Dr. Kim’s lab is located in the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) where she uses leading-edge technology, including whole genome/RNA sequencing and single cell analysis. She is the lead principal investigator on several multi-institutional grants addressing precision medicine initiatives, for which she works closely with clinicians at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, Dignity Health and Baylor Scott & White Research Institute in Texas. Dr. Kim joined the college’s founding faculty in 2007. Together with Karen Taraszka Hastings, MD, PhD, she established the inaugural Hematology-Oncology Block in 2008. She also launched the Personal Active Learning (PAL) block in 2014. Dr. Kim is PAL block director, teaches cancer in the preclinical curriculum and participates in K-12 education outreach activities. She received the college’s Educator of the Year award in 2013.

“Being an academic scientist is like juggling many balls all at once and continuously,” Dr. Kim said. “I think we women are natural at multi-tasking and thrive on ‘getting things done.’ ”

Aparna Sertil, PhD, investigates how cancers survive treatment and relapse years after patients are presumed to be cured. She is identifying new targets for therapeutic development and building better tools to study cancer recurrences through collaborations with physicians and scientists at Phoenix Children’s Hospital and engineers at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix Center for Applied Nanobioscience and Medicine and Arizona State University. Dr. Sertil joined the Department of Basic Medical Sciences as an assistant professor in 2010. She teaches first-and second-year students in didactic and case-based instruction and serves as co-director for the Musculoskeletal and Nervous System I block. She has served on the College Admissions Committee and was one of the founding members of the BMS High School Summer Research Internship Program, which was designed to provide research opportunities to talented students from diverse backgrounds. She has mentored numerous students who have become Fulbright scholars, or are entering careers in medicine and public health.

“Growing up in India, where women don't get the same opportunities as men, I am intimately aware of the challenges and obstacles we women face in academic science,” Dr. Sertil said. “I tell all my mentees not to take for granted the opportunities that come their way and to accept challenges as opportunities for growth.”

Karen Taraszka Hastings, MD, PhD, leads a research program that investigates the immune response to skin cancer. By identifying how the body recognizes tumor cells, she hopes to improve therapies that harness the immune system to destroy cancer. Her dermatology clinical practice at the Phoenix VA Health Care System and collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and Banner Heath enhance the translation of her research into improved patient care. Applying an analytical approach to clinical care enables her to help patients with skin conditions that are challenging to diagnosis or treat. After completing her training in immunology and dermatology at Harvard and Yale universities, she joined the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix in 2006. As a founding faculty, she was involved in building many aspects of the new medical school. She created and directed the first- and second-year medical school curriculum in immunology and dermatology and continues to teach these subjects. She was instrumental in starting the college’s first scientific seminar series and established the research technologies of flow cytometry and irradiation on the campus. She mentors physicians and scientists in her laboratory through her service on the MD-PhD Program Committee, and by organizing a trainee retreat for the Society of Investigative Dermatology.

“My advice for the next generation is to follow your passion and be persistent in following your dreams,” Dr. Hastings said. “I find great fulfillment in my career through advancing scientific knowledge, providing specialty clinical care and training future physicians and scientists – all with the goal of improving patients’ lives.”

If you would like more information about the Women in Medicine and Science group, please contact Julie Parrish. For information about the Phoenix chapter of Graduate Women in Science, contact Sandra Maria Hinz.

Special September/October Content

Features with women in leadership at the College of Medicine – Phoenix:

• Ella Nikulina, PhD; Shalini Sharma, PhD; Theresa Currier Thomas, PhD.
• Rebecca Fisher, PhD; Amelia Gallitano, MD, PhD; Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz, PhD.
• Maria Manriquez, MD; Susan Kaib, MD, Cheryl O’Malley, MD.
• Taben Hale, PhD; Jennifer Hartmark-Hill, MD, Michelle Dorsey, MD.
• Suwon Kim, PhD; Karen Hastings, MD, PhD; Aparna Sertil, PhD.