Awards and Honors
Carlo Croce, MD, chair of the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics, holder of the John W. Wolfe Chair in Human Cancer Genetics and director of Human Cancer Genetics, has been recognized by Ohio State as a 2012 Distinguished University Professor. Croce’s studies have transformed how cancers are diagnosed and treated, improving patient outcomes. He also discovered the role of microRNAs in the genesis of various cancers.
Ewa Mrozek, MD, an assistant professor-clinical in the Division of Medical Oncology, received the Bertha A. Bouroncle Teaching Award, which is presented each year to a faculty member from either the Division of Hematology or the Division of Medical Oncology by the Hem-Onc Fellows at their annual awards banquet. Mrózek is a breast cancer specialist at the OSUCCC – James with research interests in clinical trials. The award is named for a professor emerita at Ohio State whose long and distinguished career as a physician, researcher and educator was highlighted by her identification and characterization of hairy cell leukemia, a rare chronic form of the disease for which she and colleagues also developed a drug that has become a standard of care.
Qianben Wang, PhD, assistant professor of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, has received a 2012 Endocrine Society Early Investigators Award supported by Amgen and Pfizer Inc. The award assists the development of early-career investigators and recognizes their accomplishments in endocrine research.
Grants
John C. Byrd, MD, director, Division of Hematology; professor of Medicine, of Medicinal Chemistry and of Veterinary Biosciences, and Natarajan Muthuswamy, DVM, PhD, associate professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology, have received a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the NIH/National Cancer Institute (grant CA159296) to study “Novel Immunotherapies for Lymphoid Malignancies.”
Fen Xia, MD, associate professor of Radiation Oncology, has received a five-year, $1.6 million grant from the NIH/National Cancer Institute (grant CA163838) for the study “GSK3B Mediates Radiation-Induced Cytotoxicity In Hippocampal Neurons.”
Leadership Activities and Appointments
Arnab Chakravarti, MD, chair of Radiation Oncology and co-director of the OSUCCC – James Brain Tumor Program, spoke at the plenary session for the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Chakravarti presented “A Revised RTOG Recursive Partitioning Analysis Model for Glioblastoma Based Upon Multi-Platform Biomarker Profiles,” about the application of newly identified biomarkers to classify glioblastomas.
Faculty and Programs
Tanios Bekaiisaab, MD, associate professor of Medicine and Pharmacology, has been named section chief of the Gastro-Intestinal Oncology Program. Bekaii-Saab is also the chair of the OSUCCC – James Gastrointestinal Cancer Disease-Specific Research Committee and a member of the Experimental Therapeutics Program.
Lei Cao, PhD, has joined the cancer program as an assistant professor of Medicine and of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics. Her research interests include understanding the impact of the external environment on brain function, metabolic regulation and tumor pathogenesis.
Bo H. Chao, MD, has joined the cancer program as an assistant professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology. His clinical interests include lung cancer and head and neck cancer. His research interests include experimental and developmental therapeutics, and oncolytic virus therapy. Chao came to Ohio State from the University of Wisconsin.
David Carbone, MD, PhD, has joined the cancer program as a professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology and director of The James Thoracic Center. His clinical interest is lung cancer. He specializes in translational research in lung cancer, including development of genetic and proteomic biomarkers and identification of novel therapeutic targets. Carbone came to Ohio State from Vanderbilt University.
James L. Chen, MD, has joined the cancer program as an assistant professor of Biomedical Informatics and of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology. His clinical interests include personalizing the treatment of prostate, kidney and bladder cancers and sarcoma using non-invasive biomarkers. His research interests include gene signatures, translational bioinformatics (moving computer models of cancer into the clinic), and integrative genomics (merging gene data with traditional medical records). Chen came to Ohio State from the University of Chicago.
Payal Desai, MD, has joined the cancer program as a clinical assistant professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology. Her clinical interests include benign and classical hematology. Her research interests include complications, management and novel therapies for sickle cell disease. Desai came to Ohio State from the University of North Carolina.
Paul Goodfellow, PhD, has joined the cancer program as a professor of Obsetrics and Gynecology. His research interests include the genetics of endometrial cancers. Goodfellow came to Ohio State from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
John Hays, MD, PhD, has joined the cancer program as an assistant professor of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology. His clinical interests include new drug development for gynecologic cancers and rare gastrointestinal malignancies. His research interests include building a better understanding of protein-signaling networks and how these can guide rationally designed and personalized therapies for cancer patients. Hays came to Ohio State from the National Cancer Institute.
Ray Hershberger, MD, is the new director of the Division of Human Genetics at Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center. He will be responsible for continuing to expand the clinical cancer genetics program for the OSUCCC – James. Hershberger came to Ohio State from the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine.
J. Harrison Howard, MD, has joined the cancer program as a clinical assistant professor of Surgery. His clinical interests include melanoma and metastatic melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma and GI malignancies. His research interests include melanoma clinical trials and clinical outcomes. Howard came to Ohio State from John Wayne Cancer Institute.
Sameek Roychowdhury, MD, PhD, has joined the cancer program as an assistant professor of Internal Medicine and of Pharmacology. His clinical interests include mutation-driven clinical trials for advanced cancer. His research interests include use of genetic profiles in treatment decisions. Roychowdhury came to Ohio State from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He was awarded the 2012 Landon Foundation – AACR Innovator Award for Research in Personalized Medicine, which provides support for a physician-scientist who conducts meritorious studies that hold promise for near-patient benefit.
Charles Shapiro, MD, professor of internal medicine and director of breast medical oncology, has been named section chief of the Breast Cancer Program within the Division of Medical Oncology. Shapiro is also research director for the Breast Cancer Program at the OSUCCC – James and a member of the Cancer Control Program.