Dr. Coussens is Chairwoman of the Department of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology and Associate Director for Basic Research in the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, where she holds the Hildegard Lamfrom Endowed Chair in Basic Science.

Dr. Coussens’ research focuses on dissecting the roles of normal immune cells in regulating various facets of solid tumor development, identifying leukocyte activities that are co-opted by early tumors to support ongoing cancer development and in understanding the role leukocytes play in regulating responses to cytotoxic, targeted and immune-based therapies. Utilizing mouse models of mesothelioma, cutaneous, head and neck, pancreas and mammary carcinoma, her research identified critical immune-regulated pathways for therapeutic targeting that are being clinically translated in combination with chemotherapy in women with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, pancreas cancer and head/neck squamous cancer.

In recognition of her contributions for revealing underlying mechanisms of cancer development, Dr. Coussens has been acknowledged with multiple awards, including the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Gertrude B. Elion Award (2001), the AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship (2012), the 13th Rosalind E. Franklin Award from the National Cancer Institute (2015), a Doctor in Medicine (honoris causa) from the University of Buenos Aires in Argentina (2018), the 12th AACR-Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship (2018), a Career Award from the European Academy of Tumor Immunology (2018) and the 2018 Susan G. Komen Brinker Award for Scientific Distinction in Basic Science.

She has been elected as Fellow of the American Association for Advancement of Science (AAAS; 2018); Fellow of the AACR Academy (2019); and recently elected as President of the American Association for Cancer Research (2022-2023).