Skip to content
Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
Search
Search Close

Roberta Zappasodi, PhD

Parker Bridge Fellow

Biography

Roberta Zappasodi is an Assistant Professor of Hematology in Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology of the Department of Medicine at the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and Visiting Investigator at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) in New York. Her research program in cancer immunotherapy involves: 1) the study of the immune microenvironment in the pathogenesis of B-cell lymphomas and in the response of these diseases to immunotherapy; 2) the role of B-cell responses in the anti-tumor activity of immune checkpoint blockade therapy; and 3) the definition of T-cell-mediated suppressive mechanisms as targets and biomarkers of immunotherapy. The overall goal of her research is to identify biomarkers of immune and anti-tumor activity with immediate clinical application and to improve the understanding of the mechanisms underlying resistance to immunotherapy.

She is a Parker Bridge Fellow at the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI). Dr. Zappasodi completed her PhD in Tumor Immunology/Immunotherapy at the National Cancer Institute of Milan (Milan, Italy) and was the recipient of PICI’s Parker Scholar award during her post-doctoral training at MSK in the Wolchok/Merghoub group.

Education & Training

  • 2013:  Sloan Kettering Institute, New York, NY
  • 2011: National Cancer Institute of Milan, PhD, Tumor Immunology, Immunotherapy
  • 2005: Università di Bologna, MSc, Biotechnology

Awards & Honors

  • 2005: M.Sc. in Medical Biotechnology awarded with the highest honor (110/110 summa cum laude)
  • 2006: Fondazione Michelangelo fellowship
  • 2007: Fondazione Marco Semenza fellowship
  • 2011: PhD awarded with highest distinction
  • 2015: Ministry of Health Young Investigator Award
  • 2015: AAI Trainee Award
  • 2016: Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Scholar Award
  • 2016: SITC Presidential Award
  • 2017: SITC Sparkathon Award
  • 2017: Popular Mechanics Breakthrough Award
  • 2017: SITC International Scholar Award
  • 2018: ISSNAF IBM-Bio4 Dreams Award
  • 2019: Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy Bridge Scholar Award
  • 2019: AACR-Bristol-Myers Squibb Scholar-in-Training Award
  • 2020: AACR WICR Scholar in Cancer Research Award