His current research is devoted to the establishment of the epigenome maps in health and disease, and the development of new epigenetic drugs. Author of numerous and highly cited peer-reviewed manuscripts in biomedical sciences, he is also a Member of numerous international scientific societies, Editorial Boards and reviewer for many journals and funding agencies. He has received prestigious recognitions for his scientific achievements among them the World Health Summit Award, the Swiss Bridge Cancer Award and the EACR Cancer Researcher Award Lecture.

The Overholtzer laboratory studies mechanisms that regulate autophagy, lysosomes, and cell death. Dr. Overholtzer also serves as the Dean of the Gerstner Sloan Kettering Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Research from the lab focuses on mechanisms of cell death that impact normal development and cancer, and mechanisms that control lysosome trafficking and turnover in health and disease.

Dr. Savage received her MD from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, completed residency in Pediatrics at Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, and fellowship in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology in the combined NCI-Johns Hopkins program.

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Dr. Savage's internationally recognized research program combines clinical, genetic, and epidemiologic studies to advance understanding of cancer etiology and improve the lives of individuals with complex cancer-prone disorders. Her work in inherited bone marrow failure syndromes has discovered numerous new genetic etiologies, advanced understanding of telomere biology, and provided unprecedented detailed clinical phenotype studies.

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Dr. Savage created the NCI’s clinical and genetic study of Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), often caused by germline mutations in TP53, resulting in robust quantification of cancer risk, genotype-phenotype correlations, characterization of the LFS-associated malignancies and a robust pediatric and adult cancer-screening regimen.

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Known for her emphasis on international scientific collaboration, Dr. Savage established and co-leads the LFS Exploration (LiFE) research consortium, Clinical Care Consortium of Telomere-Associated Ailments (CCCTAA) and works closely with basic scientists to connect disease mechanisms with clinical manifestations.