Shu Niu, a graduate student in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy, has been awarded an American Heart Association predoctoral fellowship.
The award will provide Niu with advanced training, enhancing her research expertise in investigating the cardiovascular risks associated with cancer immunotherapy and exploring potential cardioprotective strategies for cancer survivors. Niu calls the award a profound affirmation of her work.
“I am deeply grateful for this opportunity to enhance my research productivity and develop the essential skills that will help me become an independent researcher,” Niu said.
Niu’s research focuses on cancer survivors, a group projected to include over 22 million Americans by 2032, whose leading cause of noncancer death is cardiovascular disease. She cites growing evidence pointing to cardiotoxicity among cancer therapies, an unintended impact that inspired her to investigate how immunotherapy drugs, known as immune‑checkpoint inhibitors, or ICIs, impact cardiovascular health among cancer patients.
Nearly half of metastatic cancer patients are eligible for ICIs, but the drug’s role in the development of heart disease remains poorly understood. She will use Medicare data and causal inference techniques to investigate cardiotoxicity outcomes associated with ICIs and evaluate the cardioprotective effectiveness of statins in ICIs-treated cancer patients.
“My findings will help clinicians and researchers improve ICI‑related cardiovascular risk monitoring and management, facilitate safer and more effective immunotherapy and improve long‐term health outcomes for cancer survivors,” Niu said.
The American Heart Association fellowship provides Niu with just over $70,000 in funding over two years. Niu feels prepared for the rigorous work ahead due in part to the mentorship of her faculty advisor, Steven Smith, Pharm.D., M.P.H., associate professor and chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical Outcomes and Policy and co-director of the UF Center for Integrative Cardiovascular and Metabolic Disease.
“With incredible calmness and patience, Dr. Smith encourages me to ask scientific questions and helps me refine my research questions in a clear and organized way. His guidance has shaped how I approach problems, making my work more focused,” Niu said. “His support has inspired me to aim higher and continuously grow as an independent researcher.”