Eunyoung Choi, PhD, associate professor of Surgery and of Cell and Developmental Biology is the recipient of the Young Investigator Award in Basic Science from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). 

Each year, the AGA honors two early-career investigators, one in basic science and one in clinical science, for their research achievements. The honorees must have held an academic faculty position for less than seven years. 

The AGA honored Choi for her work defining key oncogenes critical to gastric carcinogenesis, and for identifying potential drug candidates to target gastric precancerous stem cells. Choi specializes in the cellular mechanisms that drive the evolution of precancerous cells in gastric cancer and has pioneered the use of transgenic animal and precancer organoid models. 

An active AGA member, she serves as an abstract reviewer and council member for the AGA Council Cellular & Molecular Gastroenterology Section. Her accolades include the NIH/NCI Outstanding MERIT Award and the AGA-R. Robert & Sally Funderburg Research Award in Gastric Cancer, American Association for Cancer Research-Debbie’s Dream Foundation Innovation Grant, and the Vanderbilt University Stanley Cohen Innovation Fund Award. 

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