Dr. Andreana N. Holowatyj

A leading expert in colorectal cancer among young adults, Dr. Holowatyj is Assistant Professor of Medicine and Cancer Biology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), Research Director and Co-Director of Research Immersion at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Director of the Vanderbilt VOICES Program, and VICC Research Program Faculty Fellow. With formal training in cancer biology, genomic medicine and clinical investigation, she developed and is Principal Investigator of the CARRIES Study.

Dr. Holowatyj's Laboratory & team focuses on improving clinical care and outcomes for patients diagnosed with gastrointestinal cancers. Her translational oncology research program spans from cells to society - using a unique approach with both patient studies and laboratory-based projects - to investigate cancer biology/etiology and genetics, tumor biology and reproductive health, cancer disparities, and other unique clinical challenges facing young adults after an early-onset cancer diagnosis. Dr. Holowatyj serves on the Expert Panel for the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Staging Manual: Ninth Edition on Cancers of the Colon, Appendix & Rectum; and on the Peritoneal Surface Malignancies (PSM) Consortium. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the VICC Young Adults with Cancer Program.

Dr. Holowatyj's research discoveries in gastrointestinal oncology have contributed to clinical practice guideline changes for colorectal and appendiceal tumors. The Holowatyj Laboratory is passionately focused on fertility for patients along their colorectal cancer journeys, including colorectal tumors diagnosed among females during pregnancy. Her discoveries have led to the establishment of the CARRIES Study, where her team is now working to understand the molecular features that contribute to colorectal cancer development during pregnancy - in order to develop new, effective and safe treatment options from bench to bedside to babies.

Dr. Digna R. Velez Edwards

An international expert on evaluating genetic factors that are associated with women's health and reproductive outcomes, Dr. Velez Edwards is a genetic epidemiologist and the Lucius E. Burch Chair of Reproductive Physiology & Family Planning, Director of Women's Health Research, and Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt. As Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Dr. Velez Edwards has also established cohorts of healthy, pregnant women to define risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes.

Dr. Cathy Eng

As the C0-Chairman of the NCI GI Steering Committee; Co-Director of GI Oncology, Co-Leader of the GI Cancer Research Program, Executive Director of the Young Adults with Cancer Program & Associate Director for Research Partnerships at Vanderbilt; and the David H. Johnson Endowed Chair in Surgical and Medical Oncology; Dr. Eng is a clinical scientist with robust expertise in clinical trials development within the National Clinical Trials Network & the Experimental Therapeutic Clinical Trials Network - and the conduct of trials which have changed the treatment landscape for colorectal cancer.

Dr. Mary Kay Washington

A world-renowned expert in gastrointestinal pathology, Dr. Washington is Chair of the Editorial Committee (Editor-in-Chief) for AJCC, the Principal Investigator for the Western Division of the Cooperative Human Tissue Network (CHTN), Director of the Vanderbilt GI SPORE Tissue Core & Director of the Tissue Morphology Core for the Vanderbilt Digestive Diseases Research Center. In addition, Dr. Washington has been integral in development of protocols for standardized pathology reporting of cancer resections and is a standing Editorial Board member for the World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors book series.

Dr. Kristen C. Ciombor

Dr. Ciombor is a board-certified gastrointestinal medical oncologist, Ingram Associate Professor of Medicine, and Co-Leader of the Translational Research & Interventional Oncology Research Program at VICC who specializes in the treatment of patients with colorectal cancers, particularly young patients. She leads multiple national investigator-initiated clinical trials focused on the genomics of colorectal cancer and translational medicine; she is also a standing member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Colorectal Cancer Clinical Guidelines Panel.

Dr. Alexandra Sundermann

As a physician scientist and board-certified obstetrician, Dr. Sundermann is an expert in pregnancy health and routinely cares for women across the reproductive spectrum--including prenatal and postpartum care. In her practice, she has personally cared for women facing a new cancer diagnosis in pregnancy and bring her insights into the challenges of navigating pregnancy-related cancer, including cancers of the colon and rectum.

Dr. Elizabeth Jasper

Dr. Jasper is an Assistant Professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology at Vanderbilt and a computational epidemiologist focused on reproductive health care and outcomes. Dr. Jasper & her Laboratory have established computational pipelines and strategies to effectively leverage electronic health records and genetic data in the study of pregnancy experiences and their lifelong impact on maternal and fetal outcomes--particularly in the complex care setting.

Dr. Richard Goldberg

An internationally-recognized expert in gastrointestinal oncology, Dr. Goldberg led the pivotal phase III trial that provided data leading to the FDA's licensing of Oxaliplatin for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer--a standard of care in this setting to this day. Dr. Goldberg is a member of the Fight Colorectal Cancer Board of Directors and, as Professor Emeritus, remains committed to defining new treatments in colorectal cancer.

Dr. Aiman Khan

Dr. Khan is a colorectal surgeon at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and an expert in the surgical treatment of colorectal tumors. As a physician scientist, Dr. Khan brings seasoned expertise and guidance in the safe collection of tissues during colorectal procedures among pregnant women--including colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy and colorectal tumor resection.

Dr. Yu Shyr

Dr. Shyr is the Harold L. Moses Professor of Cancer Research & Chair of the Department of Biostatistics, Associate Director for Quantitative Sciences, Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Quantitative Sciences & the Vanderbilt Technologies for Advanced Genomics Analysis and Research Design (VANGARD) core. Dr. Shyr is also the Scientific Director of the VICC Data Science Shared Resource. As a leading biostatistician in the field, Dr. Shyr has led the field in developing biostatistical and bioinformatics methods for clinical & basic sciences cancer research--including big data.

Ms. Julie Bulger

Ms. Bulger is the Manager of Patient and Family-Centered Care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Known to countless patients who walk through the doors of Vanderbilt for their cancer care for her kindness & support, Ms. Bulger oversees the VICC Resource Center. Her connection to our patients & their families is built about a wealth of knowledge in local and national resources. Her engagement with the VICC Community Advisory Board also highlights some of the keen patient/family-centered perspectives that Ms. Bulger brings to CARRIES & its Patient Advisory Council.

Dr. Ken Lau

An expert in developing and applying computational approaches to large-scale data generated by single cell sequencing technologies, Dr. Lau is the Director of the Vanderbilt Center for Computational Systems Biology, Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology and an established computational biologist with a keen focus on the molecular cartography of colorectal tumors.

Dr. Nicholas Zachos

Dr. Zachos is an Associate Professor of Surgery at Vanderbilt and an expert in the propagation of human epithelial colonic organoids. As a basic scientific researcher, Dr. Zachos & his Laboratory have robust expertise in leveraging molecular techniques to characterize human colonoid physiology under physiological and pathophysiological conditions.

Our Fellows, Students & Staff

Jacqueline Shaia, PhD

Jacqueline is a postdoctoral fellow in the Holowatyj Lab whose research is focused on the CARRIES Study and elucidating the distinct early-onset colorectal cancer burden among pregnant women via this community-engaged, patient-partnered approach. With her strong background and commitment to clinical and translational research, Jacqueline is passionate about driving new discoveries for this unique patient population.

Allison Morris, BA

Allie is a medical student at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Since joining the Holowatyj Lab in 2024, Allie has been awarded the Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Tennessee State Cancer Partnership (MVTCP) Vanderbilt Medical Cancer Research Experience Award. In the Lab, Allie’s clinical research is aimed on addressing the reproductive health care needs of the growing population of young individuals age younger than 50 with a cancer diagnosis. Allie has also been recognized as an American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Emerging Leaders Institute scholar, she was awarded first place for her poster presentation at the 2025 MVTCP Annual Research Symposium, and she plans on pursuing family medicine upon graduation.

Rebecca Babyak, BA

Rebecca is an experienced clinical research study coordinator in the Holowatyj Lab, where she is responsible for managing patient recruitment & enrollment, study visits and follow-up, data/specimen collection as well as regulatory compliance.

Rachel Francis, BS

As the Holowatyj Lab manager, Rachel oversees all biospecimen processing, tissue collection and CARRIES Study biorepository management and is also responsible for/experienced in conducting laboratory-based studies using patient-derived organoid lines.

Zoe Finer, MD

Zoe is an internal medicine resident at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center with a keen interest in Hematology & Oncology. In the Holowatyj Lab, Zoe's research is focused on identifying unmet clinical care needs for fertility and sexual health among young patients after cancer diagnosis - particularly those diagnosed with tumors of the colon and rectum.

Raha Almarzooqi, MD

Raha is an incoming Colon & Rectal Surgery Fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center from the Cleveland Clinic. Raha's research interests in the Holowatyj Lab are focused on key reproductive health care needs and the surgical management of colorectal tumors specifically among young patients.