He is also a member of the Pancreas Cancer Research Program and the Experimental Therapeutics Program at Huntsman Cancer Institute.Firpo's cancer research interests focus on improving intervention and detection strategies for pancreatic cancer. In collaboration with multiple cancer investigators, much of Firpo's efforts involve projects designed to investigate the underlying biology of pancreas cancer. The ultimate goal of these projects is to provide supporting justification for subsequent clinical uses.Firpo earned his PhD in molecular biology from Brown University in 1994. He completed postdoctoral training in the Departments of Human Genetics and Biochemistry at the University of Utah before joining the Department of Surgery in February 2000.