Organizers
Bryson Katona, MD, PhD
Jeffery and Cynthia King Assistant Professor of Lynch Syndrome Research
Dr. Bryson Katona is is the Jeffery and Cynthia King Assistant Professor of Lynch Syndrome Research in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, where he serves as the Director of Penn's Lynch Syndrome Program where he oversees clinical and research efforts focused on Lynch syndrome. Dr. Katona also serves as an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Genetics, the Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Genetics Program (https://www.pennmedicine.org/cancer/navigating-cancer-care/programs-and-centers/gastrointestinal-cancer-genetics-and-risk-evaluation-program) and Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Risk Evaluation Program (https://www.pennmedicine.org/cancer/navigating-cancer-care/programs-and-centers/gastrointestinal-cancer-genetics-and-risk-evaluation-program/gi-cancer-risk-evaluation) at Penn, and he also is a member of the Cancer Control Program of the Abramson Cancer Center. Dr. Katona is a physician-scientist who is an expert in gastrointestinal cancer genetics, and his research program focuses on the diagnosis, risk assessment, management, and biology of hereditary gastrointestinal cancer predisposition syndromes. Dr. Katona serves on the Executive Council for the Collaborative Group of the Americans on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancers, and he also serves on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network's committee on hereditary colorectal cancer syndromes. Dr. Katona received his BA/MS at the University of Pennsylvania, followed by his MD/PhD at Washington University in St. Louis.
E. John Wherry, PhD
Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President's Distinguished Professor
Dr. E. John Wherry the Barbara and Richard Schiffrin President’s Distinguished Professor, Chair of the Department of Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics in the Perelman School of Medicine and Director of the UPenn Institute for Immunology. Dr. Wherry received his Ph.D. at Thomas Jefferson University in 2000 then did postdoctoral research at Emory University with Dr. Rafi Ahmed from 2000-2004.Dr. Wherry has received numerous distinctions and honors including the Distinguished Alumni award from the Thomas Jefferson University, the Cancer Research Institute’s Frederick W. Alt Award for New Discoveries in Immunology and the Stand Up To Cancer Phillip A. Sharp Award. Dr. Wherry has over 225publications. He has an H-Index of 101and his publications have been cited over 55,000 times.
Dr. Wherry’s research has pioneered the field of T cell exhaustion –the fundamental mechanisms by which T cell responses are attenuated during chronic infections and cancer. His discoveries helped identify the role of PD-1and the ability to block this pathway to reinvigorate exhausted T cells.His group also first demonstrated that targeting multiple co-inhibitory receptors simultaneously could synergistically improve therapeutic efficacy, a foundation for current combination immunotherapy efforts in humans. Dr. Wherry’s work has defined the transcriptional and epigenetic atlas of exhausted T cells defining exhausted T cells as a distinct immune lineage. Finally, his laboratory has been a pioneer in defining the concept of Immune Health using systems immunology approaches, most recently applying this concept to COVID-19.
Jessica Long, MS, CGC
Associate Director, Penn Medicine Lynch Syndrome Program
Jessica is a licensed, certified genetic counselor within Penn Medicine’s Mariann and Robert MacDonald Cancer Risk Evaluation Program, the Basser Center for BRCA and the Gastrointestinal Cancer Genetics Program, in addition to her role as Associate Director of the Penn Medicine Lynch Syndrome Program. She has contributed to a number of peer-reviewed articles and reviews related to genetic counseling and testing for hereditary cancer susceptibility and polyposis. Jessica actively participates in the University of Pennsylvania’s Master of Science in Genetic Counseling (MSGC) Program as a lecturer, as Co-Chair of the Clinical Education Committee and as a clinical site supervisor, earning the MSGC Program’s Outstanding Supervisor Award in 2022. As member of the international professional organization Collaborative Group of the Americas on Inherited Gastrointestinal Cancer (CGA-IGC), Jessica previously chaired the Education Committee, was recognized as a CGA-IGC Fellow in 2023, and was recently elected to CGA leadership as a Council member. Jessica received her B.S. (Molecular Genetics) at the University of Rochester and her M.S. (Human Genetics, concentration in Genetic Counseling) at the University of Michigan.
Samantha Halter
Program Coordinator
shalter@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
Samantha Halter is a dedicated program manager with more than 20 years of experience at the University of Pennsylvania. Within the Institute for Immunology and Immune Health (I3H), she coordinates strategic faculty recruitment visits and act as a primary contact for a community of over 200 members, managing programming and initiatives. Samantha also provides comprehensive administrative support, including the organization of large-scale symposia, seminars, and special events, as well as maintaining the I3H website and other communication platforms. Her meticulous approach and passion for event planning and recruitment make her a valuable asset to the Penn Medicine Lynch Syndrome Program.