This profile is part of a series to highlight the researchers and leaders who will be honored at a ceremony on Nov. 6 for UNMC’s annual research awards – the prestigious Scientist Laureate Award and the Research Leadership, Distinguished Scientist, New Investigator, Career Achievement and Community Service to Research Awards.
New Investigator
New Investigator Awards go to outstanding UNMC scientists who in the past two years have secured their first funding from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Defense or other national sources. New investigators also must demonstrate scholarly activity such as publishing their research and/or presenting their findings at national conventions.
- Name: Kurt Fisher, MD, PhD
- Title: Associate professor, UNMC Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology
- Joined UNMC: 2017
- Hometown: Iowa City, Iowa
Describe your research focus in three words or less:
Improving cancer therapy
Why is research important in the world today?
Research is critical for the understanding of human health and disease. Once we understand how human diseases cause pathology, we can find ways to maximize health and reduce disease burden.
My research will make a difference because:
My research group focuses on targeting proteins that are critical for cancer cells, but not essential for normal cells. We hope this strategy will allow for the development of new therapeutic strategies and treatments that will be well-tolerated by patients.
The best advice I’ve ever received is:
Stay flexible with your research and follow the data wherever it takes you.
Three things you may not know about me are:
- My family tells me that I make the best homemade popcorn.
- I have four rescue dogs and the classroom frog, which no one told us could live up to 25 years.
- I am allergic to cats and bad science.