World-Renowned Oncology Surgeon Recruited to Ohio State
Raphael E. Pollock, MD, PhD, a globally respected cancer surgeon, researcher and educator of physicians-in-training, joined Ohio State’s faculty as a professor and director of the Division of Surgical Oncology. He is also chief of surgical services at the OSUCCC – James. Pollock came to Ohio State after 31 years at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he held several leadership roles, the most recent being head of the Division of Surgery. Pollock’s clinical practice and laboratory research focus on soft tissue sarcoma. He is principal investigator of an $11.5 million National Cancer Institute Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant, one of the largest awards ever for studying sarcoma.
Cancer Program Has New Director of Neuro-Oncology
Vinay K. Puduvalli, MBBS, was recruited from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston as professor and director of the Division of Neuro-Oncology in the Department of Neurological Surgery at Ohio State. Puduvalli is a noted authority on developing therapies for patients with brain and spine malignancies using a combined approach of targeted therapies, innovative clinical trial designs and rational combinations of anticancer agents. His research focuses on understanding the role of epigenetics in brain tumor and glioma stem cell biology, and on translating these findings to new treatment options. His lab team also works to identify mechanisms of treatment resistance, including resistance to cell death and to signaling pathway inhibitors in brain tumors.
New Endowed Chairs Appointed for Cancer Research
Ohio State’s Board Trustees approved appointments for four new endowed chairs for cancer research at the OSUCCC – James, raising the number of chairs for the cancer program to 25. The recipients are: David Carbone, MD, PhD, The Barbara J. Bonner Chair in Lung Cancer Research; Steven K. Clinton, MD, PhD, The John B. and Jane T. McCoy Chair in Cancer Research; Michael Grever, MD, The Bertha Bouroncle, MD, and Andrew Pereny Chair of Medicine; and Guido Marcucci, MD, The Charles Austin Doan Chair of Medicine. “We are grateful to our board and donors for supporting our efforts to prevent, detect and treat cancer,” says OSUCCC Director and James CEO Michael A. Caligiuri, MD.