Jennifer Wargo

Jennifer Wargo is a Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology and holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Genomic Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She leads the Platform for Innovative Microbiome and Translational Research (PRIME-TR), focusing on microbiome-driven cancer therapies. Her research emphasizes combining targeted therapies with immunotherapy, tumor microbiome dynamics, and gastrointestinal cancers.

Dr. Wargo completed her medical degree and surgical residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by fellowships in surgical oncology with a focus on immunotherapy. She joined MD Anderson in 2013 to lead the Melanoma Moonshot initiative.

Her research interests include understanding treatment resistance mechanisms, microbiome influence on cancer therapy outcomes, and translational oncology. She has contributed to landmark studies demonstrating synergy between targeted therapies and immunotherapies.

• Awards: R. Lee Clark Endowed Professorship
• Grants: NIH, CPRIT, Stand Up To Cancer, Parker Institute

Dr. Wargo collaborates globally to advance cancer interception strategies and microbiome-based therapies. Her work has been featured in high-impact journals like Science and New England Journal of Medicine.