Dr. Khadijah A. Mitchell is the Principal Investigator of the Integrative and Translational Laboratory for Applied Biology (IT LAB). Dr. Mitchell earned her PhD in Human Genetics and Molecular Biology from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and a graduate certificate in Health Disparities and Health Inequalities from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has over 15 years of research laboratory, public health practice, and community engagement experience. She is passionate about promoting health and education equity, as well as training a cadre of young, diverse, and inclusive researchers. Over her career, Dr. Mitchell has proudly served as a research mentor for dozens of undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students interested in STEM, medicine, and public health (including women and students of color). You can find Dr. Mitchell’s most recent CV here.
Read below how IT LAB researchers are addressing biological, environmental, and social determinants of racial, sex, and age disparities in cancer. Collectively, 13 IT LAB researchers have been selected for 5 talks at the National Conference on Undergraduate Research, 6 talks at the Pennsylvania Academy of Science Annual Meeting, 2 national and international poster presentations, and 21 poster presentations at various campus, regional, and state conferences.
Current IT LAB Researchers
13) Joelle (c/o 2021) is currently a sophomore Biology major with plans to attend medical school.
Project: Exploring epigenomic and microRNA gene expression differences in lung cancer sex-disparities
IT LAB Alumni
12) Gracie (c/o 2020) is currently a junior Biology major with plans to pursue her honors thesis next year.
Project: Exploring epigenomic and mRNA gene expression differences in lung cancer sex-disparities
11) Michaella (c/o 2020) is currently a junior Biology major with plans to attend medical school.
Project: Exploring the relationship between menthol cigarette smoking, microRNA gene regulation, and racial disparities in lung cancer
10) Jackie (c/o 2019) is currently a senior Biology and English major with plans to pursue a PhD in computational neurolinguistics.
Project: Predicting patient response to immunotherapy by kidney cancer stage using the tumor microenvironment
9) Andrew (c/o 2019) is currently a senior Biology major and honors thesis student with plans to pursue a PhD in biomedical research.
Honors Thesis Project: Identifying a clinical classifier based on differential expression of PD-L1 and a cancer immunotherapy resistance and response protein across renal cell carcinoma subtypes
8) Chloe (c/o 2019) is currently a senior Biology major and honors thesis student with plans to attend medical school.
Honors Thesis Project: Profiling DNA methylation of cancer immunotherapy resistance and response genes in African Americans and European Americans with non-small cell lung cancer
7) Jasmin (c/o 2019) is currently a senior International Affairs major with plans to attend medical school.
Project: Racial differences in lung tumor immune cell abundance can predict chemotherapy drug response
6) Cameron (c/o 2020) is currently a junior Biology major with plans to attend medical school.
Project: Exploring the relationship between menthol cigarette smoking, mRNA gene regulation, and racial disparities in lung cancer
5) Lauren (c/o 2020) is currently a junior Biology major with plans to attend law school.
Project: Profiling the genetic basis of DNA methylation and lung cancer risk in healthy African Americans and European Americans
4) Amy (c/o 2018) is a Biology graduate. She currently works as a Research Technician at Thomas Jefferson University with plans to pursue her PhD in genetics.
Project: Comparative profiling of DNA methylation in normal lung tissues from African Americans and European Americans with lung cancer to identify disease risk loci
3) Lysa (c/o 2018) is a Biology and Economics graduate. She currently works for the Young Professionals Program the World Bank and plans to pursue a graduate degree in public health and global sustainable economic development.
Project: Profiling the genetic basis of DNA methylation in lung adenocarcinoma from African American and European American patients
2) Allison (c/o 2018) is a Neuroscience graduate. She currently works as a medical scribe at Mount Sinai Immunology Outpatient Clinic. She has been accepted to several medical schools and is currently deciding on which one to attend.
Project: Profiling the genetic basis of DNA methylation in lung squamous cell carcinoma from African American and European American patients
1) Tina (c/o 2018) is a Biology graduate. She has been accepted to several health professions graduate programs and is currently deciding on which one to attend.
Project: Profiling DNA methylation in adolescents and young adults with low-grade osteosarcoma
