PhD Program

Division Home MCP Home Prospective Students About Us Current Students Faculty Mentors Curriculum Opportunities Annual Symposium Seminar Series MCP News Student Life Alumni Contact Information

Additional Information

Program in Biomedical Sciences Rackham Graduate School UM & Ann Arbor

University of Michigan

Calendars Libraries Maps MCTP Medical School Outlook Web Access (OWA) PUBMED UM Directory University of Michigan Wolverine Access Pathology Directory
  1. Division Home
  2. Home

Jessica Teitel becomes Dr. Jessica Teitel

Jun 24, 2025

Jessica Teitel headshot 500.jpgOn June 5, 2025, Jessica Teitel completed her doctoral journey in Molecular and Cellular Pathology, defending her thesis, Pan-Cancer Myc Modulator Induces Selective Cell Death Following Mitotic Catastrophe, and earning her PhD. Teitel’s journey began with a Bachelor of Science Honors Degree with Distinction in Biological Sciences from the University of Delaware. This is when she discovered her interest in research and completed a senior honors thesis in a neuroscience/psychology laboratory. Over the summers of her undergraduate years, she interned at Merck. There, she learned molecular biology techniques and was encouraged to pursue graduate studies.

During her interview weekend at the University of Michigan, the welcoming environment and research infrastructure left an impression on her. “Everything was well organized and ran smoothly. The people were warm and friendly, and Michigan has an incredible research infrastructure. The following weekend, I interviewed at what was my first-choice institution. We were left standing around at the airport waiting for someone to pick us up. The entire weekend was disorganized. That experience was the keystone to deciding that Michigan is where I wanted to go,” recalled Teitel. She soon met Dr. Analisa DiFeo and members of her lab and knew that was going to be home for her graduate studies.

Jessica Teitel with other MCP students at the annual MCP Research Symposium.The DiFeo lab focuses on high-grade serous cancer (HGSC), the deadliest subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer, with a five-year survival rate of only 30%. In this cancer subtype, there is a high degree of genomic instability, characterized by two common genetic changes: TP53 mutations and MYC amplification. While patients often respond initially, HGSC quickly becomes resistant to current therapies. In her studies, Teitel focused on the identification, characterization, and pharmacokinetics of a novel small molecule she named DL78. “This small molecule selectively kills cancer cells while sparing nonmalignant fallopian tube cells due to its exploitation of oncogenic Myc,” explained Teitel. “DL78 is structurally similar to an antiarrhythmic drug, Amiodarone, but was modified to be less toxic, retain the Myc regulation, and to gain selective anticancer properties.” While this compound shows significant potential for ovarian cancer therapies, further work is needed to improve its solubility and reduce its clearance rate from the bloodstream, allowing it to have more time to kill cancer cells. Jessica secured over $200,000 in funding from the University and National Cancer Institute to support this work.

MCP students Jessica Teitel and Derek Dang pose with Dr. Zaneta Nikolovska-Coleska as winners of the MCP Outstanding Service Award.In addition to her research, Jessica participated in the Developing Future Biologists (DFB) program. “I was one of the instructors of DFB when COVID shut everything down. We had to adapt our program to a virtual format and sent each student a “lab in a box” so they could perform experiments at home. We sent them microscopes and all the supplies they needed.” The team’s creativity and flexibility ensured these students from low-resource environments were able to engage as fully as possible in the program. She also worked as a science communication fellow for the Museum of Natural History, where she gave 10-minute presentations on her research in lay terms to the public. “I also made it a priority to host prospective students each year. I know how much it impacted my decision to come to Michigan, and I wanted to be sure these prospective students had the same type of experience I had.” To further engage with prospective students, Teitel participated in a video aimed at driving admission rates. Her engagement with the program and community outreach led her to be the co-recipient of MCP’s inaugural “Outstanding Service Award". One of her highlights from her time as an MCP student was the annual camping trips. “I was never a camper. My family went camping once when we were kids. But the MCP students were so fun to hang out with on these trips, I ended up planning them the last couple of years.”

What does the future hold? “I am interested in transitioning into a medical affairs or project management role, such as a medical science liaison, or working with clinical trials and regulatory affairs. Right now, I’m studying to take the Project Management Professional certification. I received a Rackham Professional Development Grant to help me prepare and take the exam.” Outside the lab, the future holds a half marathon in San Francisco later this year. “I never liked to run until recently. I started slowly – running a bit, walking a bit, and gradually increasing my pace. I recently completed a 10 K at Disney World, and I’m now training for a half-marathon. I never would have believed you if you told me in college that I would become a runner, let alone train for a 13-mile race!”

It seems clear that anything that Jessica Teitel, PhD sets her mind to, she will accomplish. Congratulations on your graduation and best wishes for your future!

Back to Archive