Nora Brant

Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Nora Brant graduated from Williams College with a B.A. in Biology and concentrations in Public Health and Neuroscience. During an internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, she worked with Dr. Matthew Buas to investigate the functional enrichment of genetic variants associated with esophageal adenocarcinoma and Barrett's esophagus. This experience introduced her to cancer genetic epidemiology and the use of computational methods to understand cancer susceptibility and improve cancer prevention.

Supported by a Dr. Herchel Smith Fellowship, Nora completed an MPhil in Medical Science (Oncology) at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Dr. Siddhartha Kar. Her research investigated how circulating proteins mediate the relationship between inherited polygenic susceptibility and the development of common cancers.

As an NIH OxCam Scholar, Nora will continue working with Dr. Kar while joining the laboratory of Dr. Mitchell Machiela at the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics. Her research will examine how inherited genetic variation and clonal hematopoiesis interact to influence cancer risk. Ultimately, Nora hopes to integrate genomic and molecular data to improve cancer risk prediction, prevention, and early detection.