As a hematologist-oncologist, I have a special interest in treating patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). I received my clinical training at China Medical University followed by a doctorate in biomedical sciences from the University of Connecticut. I completed additional training in immunology at Yale and Columbia University, as well as my internal medicine residency at the University of Texas. Presently, I’m a clinical instructor in hematology-oncology at The Ohio State University. As a member of the Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies Program at the OSUCCC – James, my research focuses primarily on developing immunotherapy strategies for the treatment of leukemia and lymphoid malignancies. More specifically, I explore the underlying mechanism of functional deficiency of tumor-targeting T-cells and how to reverse this with small-molecule drugs that target key signaling pathways of immune cells. I have experience in studying T-cell immunity and work on the generation and characterization of mouse models to test immunotherapy approaches. I developed and optimized the protocols to monitor antigen-specific T-cell response in vivo in human subjects and animal models, which allow us detect and isolate T cells of very low frequency (up to one in ten million.) These provide powerful tools to characterize the functional and molecular features of antigen-specific T cells, enabling us to better understand T-cell immunity against tumor, viral and self-antigens and thus develop novel immunotherapy treatments. I am involved in several long-term research projects at Ohio State under the direction of Dr. John C. Byrd, including studying the effects of ibrutinib as an immunomodulatory drug to enhance anti-tumor T-cell response and combining targeted therapy and immunotherapy for the treatment of leukemia. Additionally, I have co-authored numerous articles in peer-reviewed publications, such as Immunity, Journal of Immunology, Blood and JAMA Oncology. All of us here at the OSUCCC – James are dedicated to fighting cancer. Virtually everyone knows somebody who’s been impacted by cancer, and we’re no exception. That’s why we’re committed to providing excellent care of our patients as we search for answers and cures that will prolong lives.