Dr. Rhim is an Assistant Professor of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and the Associate Director for Translational Research at the Ahmed Center for Pancreatic Cancer Research at UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. His research is focused on understanding the key molecular and cellular events that occur when precancerous lesions transform into cancer and dissecting how intratumoral heterogeneity arises at later stages of cancer development.

These studies seek not only to better understand the biology of pancreatic cancer, but also to leverage our findings to help our patients through the identification of novel biomarkers for the early diagnosis of pancreatic and other solid organ cancers, nomination of new potential drug targets that would inhibit metastasis and cancer progression, among others.

His laboratory uses a variety of approaches and systems in his research, including the novel genetically engineered mouse models of pancreatic cancer, advanced DNA and RNA sequencing, and integrated bioinformatics approaches and microfluidic technologies.

As a board certified Gastroenterologist, Dr. Rhim’s clinical interest and practice center on determining and managing risk in patients susceptible to pancreatic cancer, including patients with precancerous cystic lesions and patients with strong family histories for this disease.

Dr. Rhim’s work is presently funded by numerous grants and awards from federal agencies and private foundations, including the National Institutes of Health, the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, V Foundation, Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, Doris Duke Charitable Research Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the American Gastroenterological Association, among others. He was the William Osler MD Fellow in Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and he completed his medical and research training in Gastroenterology and Cancer Genetics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.