News Update from Shannon McKinney-Freeman ’98
SHANNON MCKINNEY-FREEMAN ’98 continues to direct a research lab focused on Hematopoietic Stem Cell (HSC) Biology in the Department of Hematology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. In April, she was awarded a new R01 grant from the NHLBI to study the effects of sickle cell disease on HSC function. This work has direct relevance to improving the safety of gene therapies for sickle cell disease. She was also promoted to Full Member (Full Professor-equivalent) at St. Jude in 2022. She continues to serve on the Executive Committee of the International Society for Experimental Hematology, where in 2024 she will serve as President. This Fall, she will submit a T32 training proposal to the NIH to fund a training program for postdoctoral fellows at St. Jude in benign pediatric Hematology. She is looking forward to visiting Ripon College again in October, where she will present a seminar and meet with students. While visiting, her daughter Mary, a High School senior, will enjoy a campus tour. Thus, Shannon is doing her part to encourage the next generation to consider Ripon College for their undergraduate studies.