Jen Poynter, MPH, PhD

Jenny N. Poynter, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Clinical Research in the Department of Pediatrics. She received her PhD in Epidemiologic Sciences from the University of Michigan in 2005, where she focused on the molecular epidemiology of colorectal cancer. She then completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Southern California where she gained exposure to new technologies that make epidemiologic studies more efficient. Dr. Poynter’s primary research is focused on the role of genetic and epigenetic alterations in the etiology of pediatric germ cell tumors and myeloid malignancy. She has an ongoing NIH-funded research study to support this work. Her laboratory work is focused on DNA methylation, genomic imprinting and susceptibility to childhood and adult cancers. Dr. Poynter is the Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center and the Vice Chair of the Children’s Oncology Group Epidemiology Committee.