Jessie Villanueva, PhD

Dr. Jessie Villanueva is Associate Professor, Molecular & Cellular Oncogenesis Program, and Associate Director for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at The Wistar Institute’s Ellen and Ronald Caplan Cancer Center.

Dr. Villanueva earned a Ph.D. in Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. She pursued postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and then joined The Wistar Institute as a postdoctoral fellow in the Herlyn laboratory. 

Dr. Villanueva's overarching research goal is to develop effective precision therapies for melanoma, that can lead to durable responses. Her research centers on understanding the molecular pathways disrupted in melanoma, aiming at uncovering novel therapeutic targets, particularly in NRAS mutant melanoma—an aggressive and challenging tumor type. The Villanueva lab is also committed to elucidating drug resistance mechanisms in melanoma and devising innovative strategies to overcome them.