Ohio State Lands Distinguished Surgeon, Liver Cancer Expert as New Chair
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center appointed a renowned surgeon and liver cancer expert to lead its surgical and surgical oncology programs. Timothy Pawlik, MD, MPH, PhD, became the new chair of The Ohio State University College of Medicine’s Department of Surgery. Pawlik, who also holds the Urban Meyer III and Shelley Meyer Chair for Cancer Research, came to Ohio State from Johns Hopkins Hospital Department of Surgery, where he was the John L. Cameron Professor in Alimentary Tract Diseases, chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology, program director of the Surgical Oncology Fellowship and director of the Johns Hopkins Liver Tumor Center. The author or co-author of more than 600 published articles and over 50 book chapters, Pawlik has also edited five surgical textbooks. His primary clinical interests include alimentary tract surgery, with a special interest in liver, pancreatic and biliary diseases.
Bladder Cancer Expert Chairs Urology Department
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center tapped a prominent expert in bladder cancer to lead its urology, uro/gynecology and uro/oncologic programs. Cheryl Taylore Lee, MD, is chair of the College of Medicine’s Department of Urology, one of only a few women to ever chair departments of urology in the United States. She also holds the Dorothy M. Davis Chair in Cancer Research. A tenured professor of urology and an expert in outcomes research and comparative studies, Lee joined Ohio State from the University of Michigan, where she was the Dr. Robert H. and Eva M. Moyad Research Professor of Urology. Read More
Dean Lee Heads Cell Therapy Programs at NCH and OSUCCC – James
Dean Lee, MD, PhD, was named director of the Cellular Therapy and Cancer Immunotherapy Program for Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s (NCH) Division of Hematology/Oncology/BMT and Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases. Lee, who was recruited to Ohio State from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, also serves as director of cellular therapy at the OSUCCC – James. The collaboration is dedicated to pursuing clinical trials and translational research to develop innovative immune treatments, including the use of advanced cellular therapy. By combining knowledge of the immune system with the power of stem cell transplantation, advanced cellular therapy aims to enhance the body’s immune system to eliminate cancer while reducing the harmful side effects of toxic therapies.
Renowned Scientists Lead Genomics Institute at NCH
Elaine Mardis, PhD, and Richard Wilson, PhD, who formerly codirected the prestigious McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, have joined The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH), where they are leading a new genomics institute. Mardis and Wilson are among the most respected and prolific teams in science today. Collectively, they have played key roles in many of the most notable federally funded genomics research initiatives, including the Human Genome Project, the Cancer Genome Atlas, the Human Microbiome Project and the 1,000 Genomes Project. Mardis also is in the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James. Read More
Lessnick Directs Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases at NCH
Stephen Lessnick, MD, PhD, has joined The Ohio State University College of Medicine as a professor in the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, and as director of the Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH). As director, Lessnick leads a team of pediatric researchers who are working to better understand the development of childhood cancer and to transform diagnostic and treatment strategies. He also is in the Molecular Biology and Cancer Genetics Program at the OSUCCC – James. His personal research is in the area of Ewing sarcoma. Lessnick formerly was at the University of Utah and directed the Center for Children’s Cancer Research at Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Top Nanobiotechnology Scientist Joins Ohio State Faculty
Peixuan Guo, PhD, one of the top nanobiotechnology experts in the world, was recruited from the University of Kentucky to Ohio State’s College of Medicine as the first Sylvan G. Frank Endowed Chair in Pharmaceutics and Drug Delivery Systems. Guo was recruited in collaboration with Ohio State’s Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute and has a joint appointment in the College of Medicine’s Department of Physiology and Cell Biology. He also is a member of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, where his major research interest is in applying RNA nanotechnology to cancer therapy. Read More