{{Short description|Irish immunologist and oncologist}} {{Infobox scientist | name = Susan Bullman | birth_place = County Cork, Ireland | field = Immunology, Oncology | work_institutions = MD Anderson Cancer Center | alma_mater = University College Cork <br />Cork Institute of Technology | prizes = {{Plainlist| *Irish Research Council High Commendation, Early Career Researcher (2021) *Time 100 Next (2025) }} }}
'''Susan Bullman''' is an Irish immunologist and oncologist who has been an associate professor at both the Departments of Immunology and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center since May 2024. Her research focuses on how the digestive tract microbiome affects the development of oral and colorectal cancer. She was named to the Time 100 Next in 2025 for her research.
== Biography == Bullman was born and raised in County Cork, Ireland<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Service |first=Sabin Russell / Fred Hutch News |date=2019-07-22 |title=Two Irish microbiologists find their way, together, to Seattle |url=https://www.fredhutch.org/en/news/center-news/2019/07/bullman-johnston-profile.html |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=Fred Hutch |language=en}}</ref> and attended University College Cork for her B.Sc. in Biomedical Science.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Susan Bullman |url=https://faculty.mdanderson.org/profiles/susan_bullman.html |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=UT MD Anderson |language=en}}</ref> She then went to the Cork Institute of Technology for her PhD, where she met her husband: they met through being the most studious of their class and both staying in the lab late.<ref name=":0" />
During her PhD, she focused on how bacteria contribute to gastrointestinal diseases, but upon learning of recent scientific discoveries regarding how bacteria can affect cancer, she decided to focus on that field.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Blackburn |first=Kellie Bramlet |title=4 questions with immunology researcher Susan Bullman |url=https://www.mdanderson.org/cancerwise/4-questions-with-immunology-researcher-susan-bullman.h00-159774078.html |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=UT MD Anderson |language=en}}</ref> She moved to Boston with her husband, and took a position as a post-doctoral researcher at the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, where she became known for her research on Fusobacterium nucleatum's links to colorectal cancer.<ref name=":0" />
She then began work as an associate professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, where she ran her own independent research group.<ref name=":0" /> She has since become a professor in both the Immunology and Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology departments at the MD Anderson Cancer Center.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-06-07 |title=Susan Bullman, Xi Chen named associate members of MD Anderson's Allison Institute |url=https://cancerletter.com/in-brief/20240607_7b/ |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=The Cancer Letter |language=en-US}}</ref>
Bullman's research has found Fusobacterium nucleatum causes cancers to go into a dormant state called Quiescence, reducing the effectiveness of chemotherapy, which focuses on handling rapidly dividing cells, and increasing the likeliness of relapse.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Niño |first=Jorge Luis Galeano |last2=Ponath |first2=Falk |last3=Ajisafe |first3=Victor A. |last4=Becker |first4=Clara R. |last5=Kempchinsky |first5=Andrew G. |last6=Zepeda-Rivera |first6=Martha A. |last7=Gomez |first7=Javier A. |last8=Wu |first8=Hanrui |last9=Terrazas |first9=Jessica G. |last10=Bouzek |first10=Heather |last11=Cromwell |first11=Elizabeth |last12=Chanana |first12=Pritha |last13=Wong |first13=Matthew |last14=Damania |first14=Ashish |last15=White |first15=Michael G. |date=2026-01-12 |title=Tumor-infiltrating bacteria disrupt cancer epithelial cell interactions and induce cell-cycle arrest |url=https://www.cell.com/cancer-cell/abstract/S1535-6108(25)00402-7 |journal=Cancer Cell |language=English |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=166–186.e16 |doi=10.1016/j.ccell.2025.09.010 |issn=1535-6108 |pmid=41106380}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |title=Tumour microbes could influence treatment success |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/d42473-025-00433-y |journal=Nature |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Study reveals how bacteria in tumors drive treatment resistance in cancer |url=https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1102163 |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=EurekAlert! |language=en}}</ref> She has also found that the bacteria can travel with colon cancer cells as it metastasizes in the liver.<ref>{{Cite web |last=one |first=admin two thousand and |date=2021-12-15 |title=Award for MTU Alumnus Dr Susan Bullman |url=https://www.thecork.ie/2021/12/15/award-for-mtu-alumnus-dr-susan-bullman/ |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=TheCork.ie (News & Entertainment) |language=en-GB}}</ref> Notably, she has also found that targeting and eradicating ''F. nucleatum'' suppresses tumor growth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Understanding the Role of Tumor Microbiota in GI Cancer Progression and Response to Treatment |url=https://dailynews.ascopubs.org/do/10.1200/ADN.20.200016/full/ |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=dailynews.ascopubs.org |language=en}}</ref>
Bullman has recommended eating fiber-rich foods to reduce the risk of developing colorectal cancer and oral cancer by promoting beneficial gut bacteria.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Pugachevsky |first=Julia |title=A gut health and cancer researcher shared the foods she eats to lower her disease risk |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/gut-health-cancer-researcher-shared-diet-lower-risk-2025-10 |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref>
She was named a Stat Wunderkind in 2018<ref>{{Cite web |title=Meet the 2018 STAT Wunderkinds |url=https://www.statnews.com/wunderkinds-2018/ |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=STAT |language=en-US}}</ref> and was given the High Commendation, Early Career Researcher award by the Irish Research Council in 2021.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Irish Research Council Researcher of the Year Awards 2021 {{!}} Irish Research Council |url=https://www.research.ie/2021/12/03/the-irish-research-council-researcher-of-the-year-awards-2021/ |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260207013413/https://www.research.ie/2021/12/03/the-irish-research-council-researcher-of-the-year-awards-2021/ |archive-date=2026-02-07 |access-date=2026-05-24 |work=Irish Research Council |language=en}}</ref> She received a Keck Foundation award in 2021 to research if and how certain bacteria directly alter the human genome and cause cancer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=W.M. Keck Foundation Grant to Study Potential Link Between Bacteria and Cancer |url=https://www.lerner.ccf.org/news/article/?title=W.M.+Keck+Foundation+Grant+to+Study+Potential+Link+Between+Bacteria+and+Cancer&id=018f1f90ff81129c0be7655facc71a12c3c10ab8 |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=www.lerner.ccf.org |language=en}}</ref> She was named to the 40 under 40 in Cancer in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-05-14 |title=40 Under 40 in Cancer Winners • |url=https://avbcc.org/40-under-40-in-cancer-winners/ |access-date=2026-05-24 |website=avbcc.org |language=en-US}}</ref> She was named to the Time 100 Next in 2025: her profile was written by Matthew Meyerson.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meyerson |first=Matthew |title=Time100 Next 2025: Susan Bullman |url=https://time.com/collections/time100-next-2025/7318805/susan-bullman/ |access-date=May 24, 2026 |website=Time}}</ref>
== References == {{Reflist}}
Category:Living people Category:People from County Cork Category:University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center faculty