Researcher Spotlight: Yun Choi, MD

The Ohio State University
Kristie Blum, MD Scholar

Dr. Choi has always been passionate about using science to help others, and her lymphoma research journey followed an accomplished first career in information technology. After earning a Master of Engineering from Cornell University, she spent more than 10 years in the IT field before deciding to pursue medicine. She went on to earn her medical degree from Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York and completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology at NYU Langone Medical School. “I have chosen the field of hematology/oncology, specifically lymphomas, as blood cancers are one of the most dynamic areas in medicine with an urgent need for new therapies,” says Dr. Choi. “I have come to understand that investigators with a unique ability to navigate both the clinical and research worlds have opportunities to help advance patient care by formulating a research question based on the bedside experience and efficiently translating research findings from the bench back to the bedside.”

Dr. Choi now serves as an assistant professor at The Ohio State University, where her work focuses on the development of new chemotherapy-free treatment combinations for people with marginal zone lymphoma (MZL). “While the last decade has improved the therapeutic landscape of MZL with newer agents, there remains an unmet need for more effective treatment options with improved toxicity profiles for this disease that predominantly affects older adults,” she says.