Monique E Verhaegen, PhD

Dr. Monique Verhaegen is Research Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of Michigan Medical School. Dr. Verhaegen is investigating the signaling pathways involved in the development and maintenance of skin cancers within the lab of Dr. Andrzej Dlugosz at the Rogel Cancer Center.

For the past several years, Dr. Verhaegen has worked to develop a comprehensive research program focused on the pathogenesis of Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC), a rare but highly aggressive skin cancer linked to a Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCPyV). She has developed experimental tools, such as a large panel of MCC tumor cell lines, transgenic mouse models to identify key pathways responsible for initiation and progression of MCC and a mouse model of this deadly malignancy. Results from her research have direct translational relevance to MCC disease and may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets. In 2022, she received the University of Michigan Research Faculty Recognition Award to honor her for outstanding achievement and contributions to skin cancer research.

Dr. Verhaegen completed her Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in Biochemistry, her Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Clinical Chemistry and her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Biochemistry from the University of Windsor in Windsor, Canada. She was a postdoctoral fellow in the Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy Program of the Michigan Medicine Surgery Department, then joined the laboratory of Dr. Maria S. Soengas in the Department of Dermatology where she pursued research focused on melanoma chemoresistance. Dr. Verhaegen was recruited to the department of dermatology research faculty as a Research Investigator in 2007. She was promoted to Research Assistant Professor in 2013 and to Research Associate Professor in 2022.

• Molecular basis of epithelial skin cancers
• Merkel cell carcinoma and Merkel cell polyomavirus
• Conditional mouse models of cancer
• Syngeneic mouse models for pre-clinical studies