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Kanita Chaudhry

795

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Finalist

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Winner

Bio

MD/PhD candidate at the Jacobs School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences. Aspiring pediatric oncologist and physician-scientist.

Education

University at Buffalo

Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
2016 - 2025
  • Majors:
    • Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
    • Medicine

University of Vermont

Bachelor's degree program
2009 - 2013
  • Majors:
    • Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology
  • Planning to go to medical school
  • Career

    • Dream career field:

      Medicine

    • Dream career goals:

      physician-scientist in the area of pediatric oncology

    • Undergraduate Researcher

      University of Vermont
      2009 – 20134 years
    • Summer Undergraduate Researcher

      University of Vermont
      2010 – 2010
    • Summer Undergraduate Researcher

      University of Pennsylvania
      2011 – 2011
    • Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow

      Rockefeller University
      2012 – 2012
    • Post-Baccalaureate Research Fellow

      National Institutes of Health
      2013 – 20152 years

    Research

    • Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology

      Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center — PhD Candidate
      2018 – 2023

    Public services

    • Volunteering

      University at Buffalo — Co-President, Internal Medicine Interest Group
      2017 – 2018
    • Volunteering

      University at Buffalo — Student Interviewer, MD Admissions Committee
      2018 – 2020
    • Volunteering

      Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center — Co-Leader, Buffalo Health Exploration Research Day
      2023 – 2023
    • Volunteering

      Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center — Teaching Assistant
      2023 – 2023
    • Volunteering

      Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center — Course Co-Coordinator
      2021 – 2023
    • Volunteering

      New York State Area Health Education Program — Mentor
      2024 – Present

    Future Interests

    Volunteering

    Philanthropy

    Saswati Gupta Cancer Research Scholarship
    Winner
    As an M.D./Ph.D. student at the Jacobs School of Medicine, my ultimate dream is to become a physician-scientist specializing in pediatric oncology. I am currently pursuing my third year of medical school studies. I recently completed the PhD part of my dual-degree program at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center where I studied neuroblastoma, a deadly pediatric cancer affecting nerve cells of the body. More than half of high-risk neuroblastoma patients will ultimately die from progressive disease, highlighting the critical need for new therapy options. Under the direction of my mentor, Dr. Anna Bianchi-Smiraglia, I identified and characterized the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) as a new tumor promoting-protein in neuroblastoma. Excitingly, my work revealed clofazimine (CLF), an already FDA-approved drug for leprosy, as a potential new treatment for neuroblastoma in laboratory models. We plan to test the safety and effectiveness of clofazimine in high-risk neuroblastoma patients in clinical trials. Ultimately, I aspire to lead a laboratory as a principal investigator and study the molecular basis underlying pediatric tumors, including neuroblastoma. In addition, I plan to care for childhood cancer patients and their families in the hospital. My unique M.D./Ph.D. training background in both medicine and cancer biology will allow me to ask clinically relevant questions in the lab and bring my discoveries in the lab back to the patients in the clinic. My goal is to find novel therapies for pediatric cancers such as neuroblastoma in the lab, and ultimately run clinical trials. I want to be a physician-investigator at a leading academic hospital, where I can make the greatest impact on patients while being the most caring and compassionate provider that I can be.