Dr. Chemtai Mungo, MD, MPH, FACOG, has been awarded the to support her research on the role of the vaginal microbiome in treatment outcomes following self-administered artesunate in the R34 trial she is conducting. Dr. Mungo previously received the ASCO Young Investigator Award in 2021, and this new accolade reaffirms ASCO’s commitment to investing in early career investigators tackling urgent challenges in global cancer prevention.
All Conquer Cancer research grants are reviewed and evaluated using consistent criteria across all applicants, with the committee selecting only the most competitive applications. Dr. Mungo expressed her gratitude, stating, “I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this recognition from ASCO, particularly given the highly competitive nature of the award process. This accolade not only affirms my dedication as a physician-scientist but also underscores the importance of the work my research team is doing to improve secondary prevention of cervical cancer in low-resource settings—places where the majority of cervical cancer cases occur.”
Dr. Mungo’s journey began in rural Kenya, where poverty and fragile health systems often make cancer care unattainable. She has remained committed to empowering women and communities with resource-appropriate, patient-centered tools. Her research on self-administered vaginal therapies for HPV and cervical precancer seeks to fill critical gaps in cancer prevention and protect millions of women from this preventable disease. “Receiving the ASCO Career Development Award is a meaningful testament to this mission and to the urgency of ensuring that effective, accessible solutions are available for all women in need,” she said.
The goal of Dr. Mungo’s research is to investigate the feasibility of self-administered therapies for cervical precancer to increase access to treatment, particularly in low-resource settings. “By developing and testing resource-appropriate, patient-centered tools,” said Dr. Mungo, “I aim to more equitably prevent cervical cancer both here in the United States and around the world. Ultimately, my work is driven by the belief that effective, accessible prevention strategies should be available to every woman—no matter where she lives.”
Dr. Chemtai Mungo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at ºÚÁÏÍø Chapel Hill, with joint appointments in the Divisions of General Obstetrics and Gynecology and Global Women’s Health. Her research focuses on developing patient-centered, innovative, and accessible methods for secondary prevention of cervical cancer in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). As Principal Investigator, she leads clinical trials in collaboration with colleagues at ºÚÁÏÍø Chapel Hill, Maseno University School of Medicine in Kenya, and the Kenya Medical Research Institute, investigating the feasibility of self-administered intravaginal treatment for HPV and cervical precancer in LMICs, where 90% of global cervical cancer deaths occur.
Dr. Mungo is also an Affiliate Faculty member in the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and a member of the ºÚÁÏÍø Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) and the ºÚÁÏÍø Institute of Global Health and Infectious Diseases (IGHID). She was named an Early Career Scientist by the NCI Division of Cancer Prevention in 2023 and was appointed to serve on the Board of the International Papillomavirus Society (IPVS) in 2024.