People

Steve Blum, MD

Principal Investigator

Steve is a physician-scientist and medical oncologist, a Principal Investigator at the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute, and an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. His research focuses on understanding the human immune response to cancer and identifying novel strategies to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy while minimizing systemic toxicities.

He earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and his medical degree at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He completed internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and hematology/oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber/Mass General Brigham, where he conducted postdoctoral research in the lab of Dr. Alexandra-Chloé Villani. Before entering medical school, he helped to launch multiple biotechnology companies at the Two River Group.

Steve enjoys spending his free time with his family, traveling, eating good food, and attempting a range of sports. He is a big fan of puns and Philadelphia sports teams.

Cristian Camilo Galindo, PhD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Camilo is a biomedical researcher with a background in immunology, cancer biology, macrophage biology, and cell-based therapies. He earned his PhD in Experimental Medicine from McGill University, where his research focused on understanding the functions of SLAM family receptors in macrophages and their role in regulating immune responses.

In the Blum Lab, Camilo studies RORC-expressing dendritic cells (RORC DCs) and their role in malignant ascites. His broader research interests focus on understanding how immune cells interact within the tumor microenvironment and how these interactions can be harnessed to develop new therapeutic approaches. He is particularly interested in macrophage and dendritic cell biology, tumor immunity, cancer immunotherapy, and systems-level approaches to understanding complex immune responses.

Originally from Colombia, Camilo enjoys learning about history, visiting museums, exploring cities on foot, and watching movies and TV series.

Madison Carpenter, MS

Bioinformatician

Madison is a Bioinformatician applying computational approaches to study cancer and the immune system. Specifically, she works on immune-related adverse events associated with cancer immunotherapy and studies how immune responses relate to cancer progression and treatment.

Madison completed her undergraduate degree in Cell and Molecular Biology at Augusta University and subsequently earned her M.S. in Bioinformatics from Northeastern University.

Outside of work, she enjoys gardening, traveling, and spending time with her dogs.

Tarini Shankar

Research Technician

Tarini is a research technician jointly mentored by the Blum and Cohen Labs at MGH. Her work is focused on evaluating novel immunotherapy strategies within patient-derived gastrointestinal tumor microenvironments using a microfluidic platform known as patient-derived organotypic tumor spheroids (PDOTS).

She earned her undergraduate degree in Cell and Molecular Biology from Northeastern University in 2025, where she first developed an interest in translational research.

In her free time, Tarini enjoys traveling, cooking, and exploring new restaurants.

Leo Scaramozza

Research Technician

Leo joined the Blum Lab as research technician in 2026. His research focuses on the interaction between T cells and cancer cells from patients with effusions.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, with a minor in Microbiology, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Izabela Panova, MSc

Research Laboratory Operations Manager

Izabela is a Research Laboratory Operations Manager in Translational Oncology at the Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research and Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute and works with the Blum Lab and others on the 9th floor of the Jackson Building at MGH.

She brings more than 15 years of experience in translational skin cancer research at the Boston University School of Medicine Department of Dermatology, focusing on epigenetic alterations in melanoma progression and development and on identifying prognostic biomarkers to improve therapeutic responses in patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma who develop resistance to BRAF inhibitors. Prior to joining MGH, she was a Program and Laboratory Manager and a Laboratory Supervisor/Research Manager at the Boston University School of Medicine. Izabela received her Master of Science in Organic Chemistry from the University of Chemical Technology in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, sports, and cooking.

Catherine Gutierrez Moore, MD, PhD

Hematology/Oncology Fellow

Cathy completed undergraduate training in Molecular Biology and Microbiology at the University of Central Florida and subsequently completed her combined MD/PhD degree at Harvard Medical School and internal medicine residency at Massachusetts General Hospital.

She is currently a fellow in the combined Mass General Brigham/Dana-Farber Cancer Institute hematology/oncology program. Her research interests include translational research with a focus on characterizing and targeting cancer evolutionary programs.

Outside of work, she enjoys hiking, reading, and learning new crafts such as woodworking and pottery.

Elliot Akama-Garren, MD, PhD

Internal Medicine Resident

Elliot is an internal medicine resident in the MGH Stanbury Physician-Scientist Program. He earned his MD-PhD at Harvard Medical School, where he studied mechanisms of humoral immunity and tolerance. In the Blum Lab, Elliot studies B cells in malignant ascites. Broadly, he is interested in understanding how humoral immunity may be harnessed to potentiate anti-tumor immune responses.

Outside of the lab, he enjoys playing ice hockey, following Boston sports, and finding new restaurants.