2021 Archive

Research

Genomic Medicine Initiative (GEMINI) targets unmet needs in rare disease treatment

Jake Hopkins, MBA and Brian O'Flynn, PhD

Learn how GEMINI addresses the challenges of rare genetic diseases

Profiles

Navigating a non-traditional path to becoming a scientist

Matthew Fisher

Meet graduate student Matthew Fisher to learn about his atypical scientific career progression.

Survivorship

St. Jude calculators crunch the numbers to empower survivors of childhood cancer

Alex Generous, PhD

Find about these free resources, which scientists keep current with the most current survivorship research.

Profiles

Finding my path from baseball to biomedical science

Jordan Bondrowski

A chance encounter at a baseball game as a child set Jordan Bondrowski on the path toward becoming a student in the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Research

Demystifying a methylation mystery at the fetal hemoglobin gene promoter

Alex Generous, PhD

Learn how St. Jude scientists answered a decades-old mystery with implications for sickle cell anemia and beta thalassemia treatment.

Imaging

Harnessing the power of PET to diagnose infectious disease

Kathryn J. McCullough, MA

In a first-in-human trial, investigators at St. Jude are using the power of PET paired with novel radiotracer, [18F]fluoromannitol, to diagnose bacterial infections in patients.

Profiles

5 Questions for Vivian Lawrence, RN

Vivian Lawrence, RN and Kathryn J. McCullough, MA

Meet Vivian Lawrence, RN, Department of Pediatric Medicine, and learn about her career path in clinical research at St. Jude.

Immunotherapy

Center of Excellence in Pediatric Immuno-Oncology fast-tracks progress from the lab to the clinic

Alex Generous, PhD

Learn how St. Jude is accelerating immunotherapy research through communication.

Sickle Cell

Overcoming the medical communication ‘telephone game’ for patients with sickle cell disease

Alex Generous, PhD

Explore how St. Jude researchers are listening to patients to learn how to improve outreach.

Profiles

Going the distance to advance lifesaving leukemia discoveries

Nicole Michmerhuizen, PhD

Meet former postdoctoral researcher Nicole Michmerhuizen, PhD, and learn how her research drives advances in leukemia.

Clinical

Cancer care during a pandemic: What we learned prepares us for the next emergency

Dylan Graetz, MD, MPH

The pandemic exposed shortcomings in health care. But this study revealed more than expected in this type of children’s treatment.

Outreach

Learning the value of mentors, champions and building a strong network

St. Jude Progress

Tangie Thomas, MPH, is vice president of Clinical Trials Operations at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Investigator Insights

Jasmine Turner: Overcoming obstacles, rising to meet challenges

Mike O’Kelly

For Jasmine Turner, resilience and tenacity were required to enter a field with very few Black women. There weren’t many women or teachers of color in her scientific courses—no one with similar experiences to help guide her or focus her talents. She turned to her mother for encouragement and inspiration.

Clinical

What we’ve found out about hearing loss and cognitive function in children

Johnnie Bass, AuD, PhD

This study, to our knowledge, is the first to objectively measure hearing and neurocognitive function in a large cohort of long-term survivors of childhood cancer stratified by treatment exposures.

Investigator Insights

Making purposeful connections to help others grow and develop

Chris Pennington

Andrea Stubbs shares her experiences that shaped her career in community outreach to raise awareness for both HIV and HPV.

Investigator Insights

Leadership begins where the comfort zone ends

St. Jude Progress

Women of St. Jude highlights the influences and events that shaped the career of Pat Keel, who shares lessons she’s learned about teamwork and leadership.

Clinical

The global burden of sickle cell disease: The quality of treatment shouldn’t depend upon where you live

Ayobami Olanrewaju, MD

Survival and quality of life for many with sickle cell disease depends upon where they live. Here’s what a doctor wants to do to fix that.

Clinical

How do fathers grieve the loss of a child?

Michael J. McNeil, MD

Fathers express grief through keeping busy or focusing on work – different than a mother’s grief. But fathers may not be getting the support they need after the loss of a child.

Investigator Insights

A career of service to those in need

Katy Hobgood

Nehali Patel, MD, grew up helping those in need. Read how working with HIV-infected children has shaped her medical career.

Outreach

The path to cancer prevention includes HPV vaccination

Heather Brandt, PhD

There’s a global push to increase HPV vaccination rates, and if successful, there are these future benefits everyone can enjoy.