Current Research Interests

Dr. Du works with international research teams to reduce the burden of endometrial, colorectal, and pancreatic cancers—particularly in underserved or understudied populations who face disproportionately poor outcomes. Her research aims to understand tumor biology and identify individuals who can benefit most from risk-reducing education, lifestyle modification, or early detection strategies. Dr. Du is studying factors that drive the 2-fold higher mortality in Black women in the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium (E2C2)—for which she leads the Data Coordinating Center and co-chairs the Executive Committee. She studies colorectal cancer genomics and risk profiles in multiple populations, including in Nigeria through the African Research Group in Oncology (ARGO). She examines pancreatic cancer risk factors and early detection and leads the MSK Pancreatic Tumor Registry. She also studies telomere dynamics in several data sources. Her work is supported by the National Cancer Institute, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, David M. Rubenstein Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research, Per and Astrid Heidenreich Family Foundation, and generous MSK donors.

Beyond research, Dr. Du actively fosters young scientists by mentoring trainees and co-directing the MSK Quantitative Sciences Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (QSURE). She holds a joint appointment as Associate Professor of Population Health Sciences at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she teaches Foundations of Epidemiology. She also serves on the MSK Research Council, is a member of the Scientific Committee for the New York City Epidemiology Forum, and is Associate Editor for the international peer-reviewed journal Cancer Causes & Control.