Dr. Kimura obtained her Ph.D. in chemistry at Hokkaido University in Sapporo,Japan. After postdoctoral studies at Queen "s University,Kingston,Ontario and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development as a visiting fellow,she moved to the Laboratory of Molecular Carcinogenesis at the National Cancer Institute (NCI}. Since 1996,she has been the Head of the Endocrinology Section in the Laboratory of Metabolism. Dr. Kimura’s research focuses on understanding the role of homeodomain transcription factor NKX2-1,a master transcription factor in thyroid development and a marker for lung adenocarcinoma in humans,and its downstream target,a novel cytokine,secretoglobin (SCGB} 3A2,in development,homeostasis,physiology,and pathogenesis of diseases,particularly cancers of the thyroid and lung. Dr. Kimura uses cell culture and mouse models,and various genetically engineered mouse lines to investigate these problems.