PI BIO

Dr. Joung’s research interests include understanding how Cys2His2 zinc fingers, the most common domain encoded in the human genome, mediate specific protein-DNA and protein-protein interactions. In addition, Dr. Joung’s lab uses a combination of directed randomization and bacterial cell-based selection methods to engineer artificial “designer” zinc finger domains with desired DNA-binding specificities. The ability to direct functional domains (e.g.—transcriptional regulatory or endonuclease domains) to specific genomic loci using these customized DNA-binding domains will have important applications as tools for biological research and as potential therapeutics for molecular medicine and gene therapy.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING
1998-2001 Post-doctoral fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1996 Ph.D. in Genetics, Harvard University
1996 M.D., Harvard Medical School
1987 A.B., Biochemical Sciences, Harvard College

POSITIONS
2009-pres Associate Pathologist, Massachusetts General Hospital
2009-pres Associate Chief of Pathology for Research, Massachusetts General Hospital
2008-pres Associate Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
2007-pres. Director, Molecular Pathology Unit, Massachusetts General Hospital
2007-pres. Member, Center for Computational and Integrative Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital
2004-2008 Assistant Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
2004-pres. Faculty member, Ph.D. program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Division of Medical Sciences, Harvard Medical School
2003-pres. Member, Center for Cancer Research, MGH Cancer Center
2000-2008 Assistant Pathologist, Massachusetts General Hospital
1998-2001 Post-doctoral Fellow, HHMI/Massachusetts Institute of Technology
1997 Chief Resident in Clinical Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital
1996-1999 Resident in Clinical Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital

HONORS
2011 Appointment as The Jim and Ann Orr MGH Research Scholar
2010 NIH Director’s Pioneer Award recipient
2010 NIH Transformative R01 recipient
2009 Honoree, The One Hundred, MGH Cancer Center
2000-2005 NIH K08 fellowship award
2000 Board Certification in Clinical Pathology, American Board of Pathology
1998-2000 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for Physicians
1996 Bernard N. Fields Prize in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics (for Ph.D. thesis), Harvard Medical School
1989-1996 Medical Scientist Training Program (M.D.-Ph.D.) appointment, Harvard Medical School
1987 Graduated magna cum laude, Harvard College