Physiology Seminar September 4 – Liza Makowski, PhD, MS – Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology

The Department of Physiology Seminar Series will be held every Thursday through December 18, 2025.

This week, we are pleased to announce Liza Makowski, PhD, MS, professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, UTHSC College of Medicine, will present her seminar titled "The critical role of the gut microbiome in obesity driven cancer and immunotherapy" on Thursday, September 4, from 3:30 - 5:00 pm, in the Cancer Research Building Auditorium, Room 114. Refreshments will be provided.

Dr. Makowski will discuss the role of obesity in cancer and how the gut microbiome plays an unprecedented role in boosting immune checkpoint inhibitor effectiveness.

Brief Bio:

Dr. Makowski is a Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology at the Univ of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. She is also an Associate Director for Education and Development for the UTHSC Center for Cancer Research and serves in the faculty senate. Liza earned her Ph.D. at the Harvard Chan School of Public Health in the Division of Medical Sciences. She also received a Master's in Medicine concurrent with her Ph.D. studies as a Lucille P. Markey Fellow at Harvard Medical School. She completed postdoctoral studies at Duke University Medical Center in the Stedman Center for Nutrition and Metabolism. Her first faculty position was as faculty at UNC Chapel Hill in the Gillings School of Global Public Health in the Department of Nutrition- Division of Biochemistry where she received tenure. She moved to Memphis to join the University of TN Health Science Center (UTHSC) in 2017. Dr. Makowski's current research focuses on immunotherapy for which she currently has a U01 and two R01s to examine the impacts on obesity and breast cancer with regard to risk, response to therapy, and underlying genetics. She was awarded a Mark Foundation for Cancer Research Endeavor Award in 2024.