Page 9 - 2019-2020 Endowment Report | University of Rochester

Vertino is laser-focused on two priorities. She is helping
Wilmot achieve National Cancer Institute designation
as a top cancer center in the country. In this lengthy
and rigorous review process, some might consider her
Wilmot’s “secret weapon” as she has been part of the
NCI-A committee for the last four years—this is the
group that oversees the review of NCI-designated cancer
centers nationwide.

Vertino’s other priority is advancing cancer epigenetics Paul Linehan, Judy Wilmot Linehan,
Paula Vertino, Tom Wilmot, Marion
research. She explains: “Epigenetics are like instructions for Wilmot, Jonathan Friedberg, and
Colleen Wilmot
how individual cells interpret the DNA to take on distinct
functions. With cancer, mature cells forget who they are
and take on properties they shouldn’t, often reactivating “Our family has been so
embryonic programs long ago shut down. In essence, they affected by this terrible
receive miscoded instruction. I want to understand how our
DNA, which I think of as being hardwired, and epigenetics, disease and it has taken
which I liken to the software, work together. My goal is to away some of the most
understand why instructions go awry and then figure out important people in
ways to reprogram them.”
our lives. It is truly our

The Wilmot family’s support gives Vertino the scholarly pleasure to support this
freedom along with the resources required to explore new professorship and
lines of inquiry, generate preliminary scientific data needed Dr. Vertino’s work.ˮ
to attract external funding, and facilitate the pursuit of novel

and high-risk research opportunities.
JUDY WILMOT LINEHAN
The Wilmots' support is personal, too.

“They value research, collaborative
science, and cultivating the next

generation of scientists, which are
all important to me,” says Vertino.
“Beyond that, though, they believe
in me—and that means everything.”

9