Lisa M. Abegglen, PhD

Dr. Abegglen earned her PhD from Emory University in the Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis program in 2005. Her research interests as a Postdoctoral Fellow included MHC and T cell function, working in the Department of Pathology at the University of Utah. During her position as a drug discovery scientist at Myrexis, Inc. from 2008-2011, Dr. Abegglen shifted her interests to translational science and oncology. Dr. Abegglen returned to academia as a Research Associate at Huntsman Cancer Institute in 2011.

Dr. Abegglen joined the faculty of the University of Utah in 2016, where she is currently an Assistant Professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Pediatrics. Her laboratory research interests include genetic cancer predisposition syndromes and comparative oncology. Dr. Abegglen’s current research focuses on further understanding the molecular mechanisms of cancer resistance in elephants, with the hope that these mechanisms might someday be translated into better cancer treatments for human patients. She also has an interest in developing clinical assays to better define cancer risk in patients with Li-Fraumeni Syndrome.