University of Vermont Cancer Center Member Profile
Jessica Heath, MD
Associate Professor, Pediatrics
Chair, UVM Cancer Center Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee
Full Member
Cancer Cell (CC)
Academic Interests
Dr. Heath's laboratory research program focuses on high-risk pediatric leukemia. She examines how certain genetic mutations in some of these leukemias can cause chemotherapy resistance and aims to discover and test new ways to treat these leukemias. Dr. Heath is also interested in dissecting how hormonal changes during puberty may contribute to chemotherapy resistance in leukemia and whether these changes influence how the leukemia cells interact with the space and cells around them (the tumor microenvironment). These research endeavors have the potential to lead to a better understanding of how leukemia in adolescence may be optimally treated. Dr. Heath is also a clinical pediatric hematologist-oncologist. She provides expert clinical care to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with all types of cancer and blood disorders. In this role, she is involved in the conduct of clinical trials for many types of childhood cancer through the Children’s Oncology Group.
Other Titles, Distinctions and Appointments
2008 – 2009 Chief Resident, Pediatrics, Albany Medical Center
2011 – 2013 Chief Fellow, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Duke University
2015 American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Young Investigator Award
2011 – 2013, 2015 – 2017, 2021 - 2023 NIH Loan Repayment Award Recipient
2017 Pediatric Subspecialist of the Year Nominee
2020 Dean’s Excellence in Research: Rising Star New Investigator Award
2021 Jerold and Ingela Lucey Early Career Investigator Prize for Innovations in Infant or Child Health
2021 Pediatric Subspecialist of the Year
2022 UVM Health Network Group Junior Investigator of the Year
Vice Chair of Research, Department of Pediatrics (2022 - Present)
Dr. Heath's laboratory research program focuses on high-risk pediatric leukemia. She examines how certain genetic mutations in some of these leukemias can cause chemotherapy resistance and aims to discover and test new ways to treat these leukemias. Dr. Heath is also interested in dissecting how hormonal changes during puberty may contribute to chemotherapy resistance in leukemia and whether these changes influence how the leukemia cells interact with the space and cells around them (the tumor microenvironment). These research endeavors have the potential to lead to a better understanding of how leukemia in adolescence may be optimally treated. Dr. Heath is also a clinical pediatric hematologist-oncologist. She provides expert clinical care to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with all types of cancer and blood disorders. In this role, she is involved in the conduct of clinical trials for many types of childhood cancer through the Children’s Oncology Group.
Other Titles, Distinctions and Appointments
2008 – 2009 Chief Resident, Pediatrics, Albany Medical Center
2011 – 2013 Chief Fellow, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Duke University
2015 American Society of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Young Investigator Award
2011 – 2013, 2015 – 2017, 2021 - 2023 NIH Loan Repayment Award Recipient
2017 Pediatric Subspecialist of the Year Nominee
2020 Dean’s Excellence in Research: Rising Star New Investigator Award
2021 Jerold and Ingela Lucey Early Career Investigator Prize for Innovations in Infant or Child Health
2021 Pediatric Subspecialist of the Year
2022 UVM Health Network Group Junior Investigator of the Year
Vice Chair of Research, Department of Pediatrics (2022 - Present)