Duaa H. Al-Rawi, MD, PhD

High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) is the most common and deadly form of ovarian cancer, largely because it is often found after it has spread. HGSCs arise in the fallopian tube, where tiny precancerous changes can exist for years before a tumor is detected. Dr. Al-Rawi is investigating what early genetic changes cause a normal fallopian-tube cell to become HGSC. She focuses on two events that appear very early and in most cases: loss of the protective p53 “guardian” pathway and chromosomal instability, in which cells repeatedly gain or lose large pieces of DNA. Using precise genome editing to model specific p53 mutation types, mouse models that track how altered cells expand over time, and single-cell profiling of rare human precursor samples, Dr. Al-Rawi will test how which early changes predict progression. By defining these earliest steps, the work supports new strategies for risk stratification, early detection, and prevention for HGSC and related serous cancers. Dr. Al-Rawi received her PhD from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, her MD from Stanford University, Stanford, and her BS from Kansas State University, Manhattan.