Shields Lab

The Shields Lab began in 1990 when Dr. Shields was a senior clinical investigator and section chief in the Laboratory of Human Carcinogenesis at the National Cancer Institute. The lab moved to Georgetown University in 2000 when Dr. Shields and his research group expanded his studies while he also served as professor of medicine and oncology, vice-chair for the Department of Oncology, associate director for cancer control and population sciences, and deputy director of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 2011, Shields’ research group moved from Georgetown University to The Ohio State University where Dr. Shields became deputy director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 2023, Dr. Shields stepped down as Deputy Director to become an Emeritus Professor and focus on research and patient care.

What Dr. Shields considers special about the OSUCCC and Columbus, Ohio:

1. The breadth and depth of the research programs and the opportunity to work with its faculty.
2. The exceptional nature and structure of the OSUCCC, along with fabulous institutional support.
3. Strong collaborative environment across all the Ohio State colleges.
4. Visionary leadership.
5. Strong community support.
6. It's a great city.

The Shields Lab pursues translational science discoveries leading to the development of cancer and how to prevent it. Our lab is composed of faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate and other students and staff with diverse training in medicine, tumor biology, epidemiology, biostatistics and bioinformatics and toxicology. We conduct molecular epidemiology studies from the laboratory to the community. The studies are transdisciplinary, ranging from behavioral interventions to epidemiology. Our laboratory is especially suited for the physician-scientist in training, the postdoctoral researcher and students interested in the causes of cancer, developing tests to determine who is at greatest risk and developing prevention strategies.

Lab Members

• Abdelhalim Belkheyar – Clinical Research Coordinator
• Mallory Dietrich – Student Research Assistant
• Caroline Gault, MPH – Project Manager
• Destiny Justice – Clinical Research Coordinator
• Sahar Kamel, MD, MS – Program Manager
• Michaela Roper Malone – Clinical Research Coordinator
• Sarah A. Reisinger, PhD, MPH, MCHES – Associate Director
• Amarnath Singh, PhD – Postdoctoral Researcher
• Patricia Thompson – Clinical Research Assistant
• Ben Veneman – Clinical Research Coordinator
• Daniel Y. Weng, PhD – Research Scientist

Collaborators

• Theodore M. Brasky, PhD – Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
• Jo Freudenheim, PhD – Distinguished Professor, University at Buffalo Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Health Professions
• Dorothy Hatsukami, PhD – Professor, University of Minnesota Department of Psychiatry
• Catalin Marian, PhD – Professor, Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Timisoara
• Ewy Mathé, PhD – Director of Informatics, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, Division of Preclinical Innovation
• Joseph P. McElroy, PhD – Research Scientist, The Ohio State University Center for Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
• Min-Ae Song, PhD – Assistant Professor, The Ohio State University College of Public Health
• Mu Chun Tsai, MD – Physician, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• Theodore Wagener, PhD – Associate Professor, The Ohio State University College of Medicine