Jennifer McKinney serves as the translational research manager at the Livestrong Cancer Institutes. She forms the bridge between the clinical research — including patient education and tissue acquisition occurring in the outpatient clinical offices — and translational bench research in the Developmental Therapeutics Lab at the Cancer Institutes, as well as basic academic research at the main campus of UT Austin.
Before joining Dell Medical School, McKinney worked as a toxicologist for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. She received her doctorate in pharmaceutical sciences from UT Austin and her master’s degree in biochemistry from Texas State University. Her research interests and background have focused on DNA repair mechanisms and genomic instability of cancer in a variety of models including bacteria, yeast and mammalian systems.
While obtaining her bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from Texas State University, she held a position at Brackenridge Hospital as a phlebotomist, clinical laboratory assistant and clinical technician in the emergency department.
McKinney is excited about the opportunity to facilitate relationships at Dell Med and UT Austin that will lead to innovative and collaborative clinical and translational research, and the development of more effective and patient-centered therapeutics in the Austin community and beyond.