Dr. Allison Weis Receives NCI K22 Career Development Award

Oct 23, 2025

The Department of Internal Medicine is proud to share that Allison Weis, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, has been awarded a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Career Transition Award (K22). This award provides vital support for promising scientists as they transition to independent, tenure-track faculty positions in cancer research.

Her research centers on Bacteroides uniformis, a natural gut microbe that may enhance the immune system's capacity to recognize and eliminate cancer cells. This work has the potential to develop new methods for preventing or treating colon cancer using the body's own bacteria. With colorectal cancer rates on the rise, particularly among younger adults, this research could benefit families throughout Utah and beyond.

The NCI K22 Career Development Award, formally known as the Career Transition Award, aims to help early-career investigators establish their research programs by providing resources to advance their scientific contributions. The award reflects NCI’s confidence in Dr. Weis’ potential to become a leader in cancer-focused research.

Dr. Weis did her PhD at UC Davis in Microbiology, and then came to the University of Utah where she was an NIH F32 NRSA Postdoctoral fellow in the laboratory of Dr. June Round, in the Department of Pathology and the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI). Dr. Weis recently started her own independent tenure-track Assistant Professor position and her own laboratory within the GI division. Dr. Weis also holds an Adjunct Assistant Professor position with the Division of Microbiology and Immunology, is a member of HCI, a member of the 3i initiative, the MAGIC consortium, and the Mountain West Microbiome Alliance.

Dr. Weis’ achievement underscores the Department’s commitment to fostering early-career researchers who are shaping the future of academic medicine and cancer science.