New faculty spotlight: Punita Dhawan, Ph.D.

Punita Dhawan, Ph.D.

Punita Dhawan, Ph.D., is a new faculty member at UNMC. Here’s a brief rundown of her background and the expertise she brings to campus.

  • Name: Punita Dhawan, Ph.D.
  • Hometown: New Delhi, India
  • New title and department at UNMC: Associate professor, UNMC Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Research/Professional Interests:
Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of the cancer associated mortality in the United States. We are interested in understanding molecular details of the role of cell-to-cell adhesion proteins, tight junction proteins in particular, in the regulation of colon carcinogenesis. We plan to utilize this information to design new diagnostic markers and therapies.

Degrees:

  • Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular biology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, Ark.

Memberships:

  • American Gastrointestinal Association
  • American Association of Cancer Research

Three things people may not know about me:

  • I love being mom to two wonderful boys.
  • I love to try new recipes from different cultures.
  • I love to read mystery novels.
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