Johanna Ungerstedt: new Associate professor

- It is the reward for many years of hard work, says Johanna Ungerstedt, who has been appointed Associate professor in Hematology at the Department.

Congratulations Johanna! What does this appointment of Associate Professor mean to you?

- It is the reward for many years of hard work and it is very fun to be acknowledged in this way (by KI). And also a proof that it is possible to combine clinical work, research and a family life.

What is your research about?

- We study how DNA is packaged inside the cell, and use different epigenetic markers to globaly study if DNA is is tightly or loosely packed at interesting spots. This packagig has implications for initiation of various blood cancers, and also for how these blood cancers should be treated. We also study the bone marrow microenvironment of the bone marrow and how stem cells mature into blood cells.

Why did you choose to do research about Hematology?

- I am a resident doctor in Hematology since 2008, but already 10 years ago I was on a preclinical post doc in epigenetics at Sloan Kettering. The epigenetic treatment strategies we were studying at that time are now in clinical studies for hematological malignancies and it was natural to start studying them in a hematological context.

Short about your background:

- Medical school with research training (LÄFO), preclinical dissertation 2003, post doc in epigenetics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, AT in Örnsköldsvik, another preclinical post doc i redox biology at MBB, then clinical work for several years, and from 2011/12 research group leader at HERM.