Emily Sherman

Hi! My name is Emily, and I am a junior majoring in Biology. I also have interests in the humanities, and am studying English and Russian in addition to my STEM coursework. I came to Penn with aspirations to become a doctor, and I believed that research would help me in my ultimate goal of impacting and improving patient care. 

Through CURF, I was able to find my current lab–and my passion for medicine. I currently work in the lab of Dr. John Maris at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where I am examining the effectiveness of CAR T-cell treatment on pediatric neuroblastoma, a cancerous tumor that begins in the nerve tissue of very young children. The summer of 2019, I studied ovarian cancer as part of the Discovery to Cure Program at the Yale University School of Medicine, which allowed me to be published in March 2020 as a co-author on an abstract that was presented at the Society of Reproductive Investigation’s international annual meeting. 

While I wasn’t accepted into every research position I applied to, it was my perseverance and passion for wanting to improve cancer therapies that led me to the research projects I have worked on. I aim to show that it is possible to find research opportunities in any field, and that it’s important to follow your true interests in order to find experiences that are fulfilling and meaningful. 

I want to share my love for research with you! Feel free to reach out with questions about identifying your research interests, finding and applying for research positions/internships, work-life balance, or anything about Penn!

• Student Researcher – Dr. John Maris, Center for Childhood Cancer Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Summer 2021 - Present) 
• Discovery to Cure Program at the Yale University School of Medicine – Dr. Gloria Huang, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences (Summer 2019) 
  • Published as a co-author on an abstract selected for presentation at an international scientific meeting in March 2020.

• Student Researcher – Dr. John Maris, Center for Childhood Cancer Research at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (Summer 2021 - Present) 

• Awarded summer 2023 research grant by the Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer to study the effects of EZH2 inhibition in treating neuroblastoma by CAR T immunotherapy

Additional groups/interests: Beyond Locust Research Club (President), Penn StudentsCare, Her Campus UPenn