The OSUCCC – James attracts some of the brightest minds in cancer research, and Pelotonia dollars help them continue their studies when they arrive. Recent recruits include these prominent researchers:
Kellie Archer, PhD, is chair of the Division of Biostatistics in the College of Public Health. She also is a member of the Molecular Biology and Cancer Genetics Program at the OSUCCC – James. Her primary research area has been the development of statistical methods and computational algorithms for analyzing genomic data. She came to Ohio State from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), where she directed the VCU Massey Cancer Center Biostatistics Shared Resource.
Allan V. Espinosa, MD, is in the College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, where he has clinical and research interests in neuroendocrine malignancies and thyroid cancers. He performed translational research on thyroid cancer as a postdoctoral researcher at the OSUCCC – James, then transitioned to clinical training in Internal Medicine at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. After completing a fellowship in Hematology/ Oncology at Vanderbilt University, he served the communities of northern Maine, where he was in charge of the Hematology Oncology clinics at Cary Medical Center, Northern Maine Medical Center and Millinocket Regional Hospital.
Valerie Grignol, MD, is a surgical oncologist in the College of Medicine, Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology. She joined the Ohio State medical faculty after completing her fellowship training in surgical oncology here. Grignol treats patients suffering from breast cancer and sarcoma. Her research interests focus on clinical trials and outcomes for sarcoma patients. Although her specialty is surgery, she considers herself a cancer doctor first and foremost.
Clara Lee, MD, MPP, is in the College of Medicine, Department of Plastic Surgery, and in the College of Public Health, Division of Health Services Management and Policy. She also is in the Cancer Control Program at the OSUCCC – James. As a plastic surgeon, she specializes in microsurgery and cancer reconstruction, including breast, sarcoma and melanoma. Her research focuses on understanding and improving how patients and providers make decisions about cancer surgery. She came to Ohio State from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Stephen Lessnick, MD, PhD, is in the College of Medicine and directs the Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where he leads a team of pediatric researchers working to better understand childhood cancer and to transform diagnostic and treatment strategies. Lessnick also is in the OSUCCC – James Molecular Biology and Cancer Genetics Program. He came to Ohio State from the University of Utah and Huntsman Cancer Institute.
Wayne Miles, PhD, is in the College of Arts and Sciences, Division of Molecular Genetics, and a member of the Molecular Biology and Cancer Genetics Program at the OSUCCC – James. His research focuses on understanding how loss of the retinoblastoma 1 (RB1) tumorsuppressor gene changes the transcriptome and proteome of cancer cells. He was recruited to Ohio State from Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School.
Jeffrey VanDeusen, MD, PhD, is in the College of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, where he has a clinical and research focus on breast malignancies. Before coming to Ohio State, he was medical director of the Adena Cancer Center in Chillicothe, Ohio. While there, he and his staff designed and launched a free lung cancer screening program. He presented its successful design and execution at the national Lung Cancer Screening Conference.
Claire Verschraegen, MD, MS, former director of Hematology/ Oncology at the University of Vermont, is director of the Division of Medical Oncology in the College of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine. She also is associate director for translational research at the OSUCCC – James. Verschragen specializes in rare cancers, including mesothelioma, metastatic melanoma, sarcomas and gynecologic malignancies, along with the study of new anticancer drugs and treatments for solid tumors.