Bonnie Teng, PhD Joins the Melanoma Research Foundation as New Chief Scientific Officer
Washington, DC (February 25, 2025) – The Melanoma Research Foundation, the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma, is excited to announce the appointment of Bonnie Teng, PhD as its new Chief Scientific Officer (CSO), overseeing the research & science department’s growth strategy, future direction and grant program.
With over 20 years of experience in basic science and translational research, including 15 years in the oncology field, Bonnie is well poised to advance the Foundation’s research and science portfolio including the expansion of its grant program, enhancing melanoma scientific collaboration, leading its scientific leadership program including the MRF Breakthrough Consortium – a network of 30 centers of excellence in melanoma that collaborate to accelerate the research and development of the most promising therapies in melanoma treatment.
“I am excited to join the MRF’s leadership team and guide the Foundation’s scientific direction, funding priorities and research strategies,” says Bonnie Teng, PhD. “In this role, I will work closely with the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) to identify critical gaps in melanoma research and shape the research funding portfolio, maximizing the impact of the Foundation’s philanthropic investments. Through collaboration with the scientific research community, I am eager to steer the MRF’s research strategies to advance melanoma prevention, early detection and treatment.”
Prior to joining the MRF, Bonnie was a Senior Scientist at the Women’s Health Integrated Research Center of the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine (HJF). With the goal of advancing cancer diagnosis and treatment, she led research projects on cancer biology, tumor microenvironment and drug target discovery using genomic and proteomic strategies. In addition to studying disease progression, Bonnie developed cell models for cancer drug testing and created online tools for proteomic data analysis.
Bonnie completed two postdoctoral fellowships in the Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology at the University of Pittsburgh and at HJF. During her fellowships, Bonnie conducted research on biomarker discovery and cancer drug resistance. Bonnie earned her PhD and Master’s degree in Bioengineering from the University of Pittsburgh and has a Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis.
The addition of CSO to the MRF’s leadership team denotes the organization’s commitment to supporting the melanoma scientific community, enhancing patient knowledge around scientific updates and ensuring that critical breakthroughs in research translate into meaningful improvements in patient care.
About the Melanoma Research Foundation
The Melanoma Research Foundation (MRF) is the largest independent organization devoted to melanoma. Committed to the support of medical research to develop effective treatments and eventually a cure for melanoma, the MRF also educates patients and physicians about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous melanoma and the melanoma rare subtypes. The MRF is a dedicated advocate for the melanoma community, helping to raise awareness of this disease and the need for a cure. The MRF’s website is the premier source for melanoma information seekers. More information is available at www.melanoma.org.
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