Shirleen Xu is a post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award (IRTA) Fellow in the Translational Biobehavioral and Health Promotion Branch at the NIH Clinical Center. She graduated summa cum laude from Rutgers University with a dual degree in Cell Biology & Neuroscience and Philosophy, where she conducted four years of cancer biology research investigating tumor suppressor regulation at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Her scientific training spans molecular oncology, translational pathology at Bristol Myers Squibb, and systems-level microbiome research examining how alcohol-associated and behavioral exposures influence inflammatory signaling and disease phenotype. Shirleen aspires to become a physician-scientist in academic medicine, integrating patient-centered oncology care with translational research focused on cancer prevention. She is particularly interested in identifying modifiable microbial and inflammatory pathways that contribute to environmentally mediated malignancies and cancer disparities. Through her clinical work in free clinics serving uninsured populations and her mentorship of first-generation and underrepresented students, she is committed to advancing equitable access to both cancer prevention and academic medicine.