Karen Hastings, MD, PhD

Dr. Hastings is a physician-scientist with a research program focused on antigen presentation and regulation of T cell responses in skin cancer. She completed her MD and immunology PhD training at Harvard Medical School, and then completed her dermatology and post-doctoral training at Yale School of Medicine. In 2006, she was recruited to join the University of Arizona College of Medicine Phoenix. She holds joint appointments in the Departments of Basic Medical Sciences and Immunobiology. She is an attending dermatologist in the Phoenix VA Healthcare system. Her laboratory has defined gamma-interferon-inducible lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT) as a critical enzyme in MHC class II-restricted presentation of and regulation of T cell tolerance to melanocyte differentiation antigens important in melanoma and vitiligo. Her laboratory has gone on to define the clinical significance of GILT in melanoma and lymphoma. Her research program utilizes mouse models of melanoma and squamous cell carcinoma, in vitro assays, patient specimens, and bioinformatics.