Dr. Hector L. Franco, Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics and Member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, was selected as a UNC Simmons Scholar. The Simmons Scholars program provides three to five years of salary support, structured mentorship, and career and leadership development opportunities.
Dr. Hector L. Franco, Assistant Professor in the Department of Genetics and Member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, was selected as a UNC Simmons Scholar. The Simmons Scholars program provides three to five years of salary support, structured mentorship, and career and leadership development opportunities. Since its launch in 1994 by former Dean Michael Simmons, the Simmons Scholars Program has offered support to faculty members from groups traditionally underrepresented in medicine, while also placing an emphasis on building a community of scholars that spans multiple disciplines.
Dr. Franco’s laboratory has a long-standing interest in understanding how the human genome works and how genes become deregulated in cancer. He expects his work to uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms that control gene expression and the ways in which the epigenome and non-coding RNAs influence these processes. His lab approaches research in an interdisciplinary manner that combines state-of-the-art molecular and cellular techniques with powerful genomic and computational approaches.
In response to news of the award, Dr. Franco said, “I am honored to be selected for the Simmons Scholars Program which will help me to continue to pursue high impact cancer research and also serve as a role model for minorities in science and medicine.”
Congratulations to Dr. Franco on this outstanding recognition!