American Society for Clinical Investigation honors Cao, Mullen
Early-career physician-scientists recognized for research achievements
WashU MedicineMullen and Cao
WashU Medicine faculty members Siyan “Stewart” Cao, MD, PhD, an assistant professor in gastroenterology, and Mary M. Mullen, MD, an assistant professor in gynecologic oncology, have received the Young Physician-Scientist Award from the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI).
The honor recognizes 50 physician-scientists nationwide who are early in their careers and have achieved accolades in their research. The annual award supports their involvement with three scientific associations — the ASCI, the Association of American Physicians and the American Physician Scientists Association — by offering leadership development workshops, panel discussions with ASCI members, virtual poster sessions and other career-enhancing activities.
The physician-scientists will be recognized in April at the associations’ joint annual meeting in Chicago.
Cao’s research aims to uncover the underlying causes of various gastrointestinal conditions such as inflammatory bowel diseases, eosinophilic esophagitis and cancers related to the digestive system. Using advanced technologies, Cao studies cells and genes in mice and patients to identify new treatment targets and predict which patients will respond to specific therapies. Doing so may improve diagnosis and lead to the development of more effective and personalized treatments for chronic gastrointestinal diseases.
Mullen studies ovarian and uterine cancers, the deadliest of gynecological diseases. Traditional DNA-altering treatments such as chemotherapy often prove helpful in the short term, but in about 80% of women, the tumors become resistant to treatment and cause death within five years of diagnosis. Mullen’s research focuses on understanding how tumors repair their DNA with the goal of developing personalized treatment to improve health outcomes and save lives.
For more information on the awards, visit ASCI.
