Jinghui Zhang, PhD, elected Fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology

Newswise — (Memphis, Tenn. – July 27, 2023) St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital proudly announces that Jinghui Zhang, Ph.D., Member of the Department of Computational Biology, has been elected as a Fellow of the International Society for Computational Biology.

Zhang is one of 15 scientists given this distinction in 2023. She’s being honored for the development and application of innovative computational methods, discovering novel targets and accelerating research and genomic data sharing to advance the diagnosis, treatment and surveillance of pediatric cancers and survivors. 

“I am thrilled to be honored alongside the incredible 2023 class of Fellows for ISCB,” said Zhang. “It is a privilege to lead groundbreaking computational research at St. Jude. This distinction is significant, highlighting the innovative methods development and discoveries that are being made in the field of computational biology as well as pediatric cancer genomics.”

Zhang joined St. Jude in 2010 and was named the Department of Computational Biology chair in 2015. She stepped down from the role in 2023. Zhang’s research focuses on understanding the genetic origin of pediatric cancers while developing novel approaches that integrate whole-genome sequencing data with RNA sequencing and gene expression for both research and clinical applications.

“Dr. Zhang’s election as an ISCB fellow is well-deserved. Her incredible work in developing and applying genomic-based approaches for improving the treatment and outcome of pediatric cancer has advanced the field of computational biology,” said James R. Downing, M.D., St. Jude president and chief executive officer. “From her work with the Pediatric Cancer Genome Project to recent research in clonal hematopoiesis and leading the genomic data-sharing platform, St. Jude Cloud, her work has significantly impacted pediatric cancer research.”

Created in 2009, the ISCB class of fellows includes scientists at the forefront of research in computational biology and biostatistics. This year’s class of fellows includes scientists from organizations across the globe, including MD Anderson, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Carnegie Mellon. View the complete list of ISCB Class of 2023 Fellows. 

###

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital 

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is leading the way the world understands, treats and cures childhood cancer, sickle cell disease and other life-threatening disorders. It is the only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children. Treatments developed at St. Jude have helped push the overall childhood cancer survival rate from 20% to 80% since the hospital opened more than 60 years ago. St. Jude shares the breakthroughs it makes to help doctors and researchers at local hospitals and cancer centers around the world improve the quality of treatment and care for even more children. To learn more, visit stjude.org, read St. Jude Progress blog, and follow St. Jude on social media at @stjuderesearch.