Yong Wan, PhD, an internationally recognized cancer biologist, joins Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University as director for basic research for the Glenn Family Breast Center on August 1.
Yong Wan, PhD, an internationally recognized cancer biologist, joins Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University on Aug. 1 as a professor in Emory University School of Medicine's Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology. Wan, a leading expert in posttranslational modifications and cancer biology, will serve as director for basic research for the Glenn Family Breast Center at Winship and will hold a secondary appointment in Emory's Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology.
"We are thrilled to welcome Yong, whose scientific leadership and discoveries have laid the foundation for new treatment advances for patients with breast cancer," says Suresh Ramalingam, MD, Winship's executive director and the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research.
"Yong's impressive research program serves as a powerful example for bridging discovery science with clinical translation for transformative impact," says Haian Fu, PhD, chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology and the Winship Partner in Research Endowed Chair. "He is a dynamic research leader, and his cancer targeting expertise and groundbreaking findings are well aligned with the department's vision to advance team science-driven therapeutic innovation across the university."
Wan is a highly accomplished investigator. He comes to Winship from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago. There, he served as professor of obstetrics and gynecology in the Division of Reproductive Science in Medicine, professor of pharmacology, and co-director of the Breast Cancer Program for the Robert Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center. Supported by multiple R01 grants from the National Institutes of Health, his research focuses on defining the molecular mechanisms of breast tumor initiation, progression, and metastasis, and identifying novel targets for therapeutic development. Recent studies led by Wan have identified promising new strategies to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
"I am delighted and honored to lead the breast cancer research effort of the Glenn Family Breast Center at Winship," says Wan. "Emory has a terrific breast cancer program and an outstanding infrastructure for building team science that integrates basic and patient-based translational studies. I look forward to bringing together breast cancer researchers and clinical investigators to develop new therapeutic strategies, preclinical studies, and clinical trials."
Wan earned his PhD from Cornell University and completed postdoctoral training as a Helen Hay Whitney fellow at Harvard Medical School. Prior to joining Northwestern, he served on the faculty of the Department of Cell Biology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Hillman Comprehensive Cancer Center.
