The goal of the Children’s Health & Discovery initiative (CHDI) is to foster multidisciplinary and innovative research that will positively impact childhood and lifelong health. Efforts in four key research focus areas (genes and biology, physical environment, social and economic factors, and health and behavior needs) will inform prevention, risk screening, and treatment, as well as provide training opportunities for the next generation of pediatrician-scientists to learn from Duke’s cadre of experts. As part of our goal of fostering multidisciplinary collaborations, the CHDI is holding seminar/brainstorming sessions, which we’ve termed “Great Minds Think for Kids”. These sessions will include a 40-minute research-in-progress talk from a guest speaker, followed by a 40-minute brainstorming/group discussion session led by the guest speaker and a member of the CHDI scientific leadership.
Details about the May seminar/brainstorming session follow:
Date: May 5, 2020
Time: 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Location: Zoom
https://duke.zoom.us/j/93978231693
Seminar Title: “Cancer, convergence, and competition: Leveraging evolutionary dynamics to overcome cancer therapy resistance"
Speaker: Jason Somarelli, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
Division of Medical Oncology
Jason Somarelli, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Associate Member of the Duke Cancer Institute. Dr. Somarelli received his BS from Nazareth College in Rochester, NY, his master’s degree from SUNY Brockport, his PhD from Florida International University and completed his post-doctoral training as an American Cancer Society post-doctoral fellow with Dr. Mariano Garcia-Blanco at Duke University where he studied the role of phenotypic plasticity during cancer metastasis.
As Director of Research for the Duke Comparative Oncology Group, Dr. Somarelli co-leads a team focused on understanding pediatric cancers through the lens of comparative and evolutionary biology. Dr. Somarelli is also Director for the Duke Scholars in Marine Medicine Program, an undergraduate program in cross-disciplinary mentored research on the marine environment and human health.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact Carter Crew at carter.crew@duke.edu.