External links
- Lauren Averett Byers publications indexed by Google Scholar
| Authority control databases: Academics |
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Lauren Averett Byers | |
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| Academic background | |
| Education | BA, molecular biology, 1998, Princeton University MD, 2003, Baylor College of Medicine |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | MD Anderson Cancer Center |
Lauren Averett Byers is an American physician-scientist. She is a Professor and Thoracic Section Chief of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Byers was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2025 for her contributions to the field of small cell lung cancer research.
Growing up,Byers was first encouraged to pursue a research career by her high school biology teacher. [1] She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in molecular biology at Princeton University in 1998 and her medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in 2003. [2]
Following her residency in internal medicine at Johns Hopkins Hospital,Byers joined the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (MD Anderson) in 2006 as a clinical fellow in medical oncology. [2] During her fellowship,Byers investigated the molecular differences between small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer. To assist her in her research,Byers was the recipient of the 2008 American Society of Clinical Oncology Young Investigator Award. [3] By the end of her fellowship,Byers proved that the protein PARP1 could improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy in patients with small cell lung cancer. [4] [5] She also discovered more biomarkers to identify new subtypes of lung cancer. [3] As a result of her discoveries,Byers was offered an assistant professorship in Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at MD Anderson. [6]
As an assistant professor,Byers continued to research biomarkers of epithelial–mesenchymal transition. [7] Following her promotion to associate professor,she helped create the first standardized small cell lung cancer molecular classification. [8] [9] Byers received the 2025 Edith and Peter O’Donnell Award in Medicine from the Academy of Medicine,Engineering and Science of Texas for her "fundamental discoveries and contributions to identifying novel therapeutic strategies for small cell lung cancer." [10] She was also elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science "for her contributions to the field of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) research." [11]
| Authority control databases: Academics |
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