Meet the 2025 Winners: Katherine (Katie) Aracena, PhD and Xiao-Fang Su, MD
Katherine (Katie) Aracena is a Bioinformatician in the Center for Research Informatics Bioinformatics Core at The University of Chicago. She received her Ph.D. in Human Genetics from The University of Chicago in 2023, where her thesis focused on how genetic ancestry and genetic variation impact transcriptional and epigenetic inter-individual variation in response to influenza infection. Her research leverages genetic, functional genomics, and clinical datasets to understand molecular mechanisms underlying human disease. Most recently, she has worked with Dr. Ayodeji Adegunsoye to design bioinformatics workflows to evaluate genetic differences and transcriptomic and epigenetic changes associated with honeycombing phenotype, Long COVID, and biological aging in patients with Interstitial Lung Disease.
Xiao-Fang Su, MD
Description
This award recognizes Early-Stage Investigators whose abstract submission to the Assembly on Clinical Problems demonstrates outstanding scientific merit. The recipient is selected by the Program Committee Chair in acknowledgment of the abstract’s exceptional contribution to the International Conference.