Dr. Zheng Chen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Miami. He earned his MD in General Surgery and PhD in Tumor Biology from Nanjing Medical University, China. He completed his postdoctoral training in Surgical Oncology Research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center before joining the University of Miami as a faculty member. Dr. Chen’s research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of gastric and esophageal adenocarcinomas, with an emphasis on tumor immune evasion, drug resistance, miRNA dysregulation, and smoking-induced oncogenesis. His work has been pivotal in identifying WEE1’s role in therapy resistance and developing biomarker-driven drug combination strategies to enhance immunotherapy outcomes in gastrointestinal cancers. He has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications in high-impact journals, including Gastroenterology, Gut, Nature Communications, Clinical Cancer Research, and Oncogene. His research has been funded by prestigious grants, including the NCI K22 Career Development Award, ASPIRE Award, and Florida Department of Health grants. Dr. Chen is an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). He has received multiple awards, including Scientific Accomplishment as an Early Career Investigator from AGA.