Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention

Members

Meet the leaders and members of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Research Program at the OSUCCC – James who focus on the molecular causes and prevention of cancer.

Leaders

Richard Fishel, PhD
I am a professor in the Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics at The Ohio State University, where I also serve as co-leader of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James.
Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, PhD
I am the director of the Molecular and Cellular Biology Program and Laboratory in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (GHN) at The Ohio State University, as well as a co-leader of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James.

Members

Olorunfemi T Adetona, PhD
As a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, I focus my research on investigating the relationship between exposures to combustion-derived air pollution and cancer risk.
Amit Agrawal, MD
I’m an otolaryngologist with a special interest in treating cancers of the head and neck, as well as facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Matthew R Avenarius, PhD, BS
As a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, I focus my research on how cells mutate and transform into cancer cells, as well as the role of genetics in the oncogenic process.
Michael T Bailey, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where I bring a special perspective as an associate professor in the Division of Biosciences at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry.
Megan N Ballinger, PhD
I am an innate immunologist and my work focuses on examining the role of macrophages in regulating infection and non-infectious injury and inflammation within the lung microenvironment.
Glen Barber, PhD
Our laboratory is interested in studying mechanisms of host defense against microbes and cancer.
Ruth M Barrientos, PhD
As a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, I study the impact of physiological insults to the aging body — including unhealthy diets, surgery, infections and tumors — and their effects on neuroinflammation and cognitive function.
Martha Belury, PhD
As a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, I am interested in the study of whole-body energy metabolism as regulated by interactions between adipose, liver and muscle tissues.
Marisa A Bittoni, PhD, MS, BS
My research focuses primarily on the effects of lifestyle risk factors, including diet, exercise and smoking, on lung cancer prevention and survival.
Richard Bruno, PhD, RDN
I am a a biomolecular nutritionist and registered dietitian with expertise in micronutrients, phytochemicals, functional foods, and advanced metabolism.
Christin E. Burd, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on improving our understanding of the connections between cancer and aging.
Craig Joseph Burd, PhD
I am an associate professor of Molecular Genetics at The Ohio State University and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James.
Lei Cao, PhD
I am the William C and Joan E Davis Professor of Cancer Research and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on neural regulation of cancer.
Tong Chen, MD, PhD
I am a physician-scientist who believes that cancer chemoprevention is a cornerstone of cancer control.
Jessica Lynn Cooperstone, PhD
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, and the Department of Food Science and Technology at The Ohio State University, as well as a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James.
Christopher Charles Coss, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on cachexia therapeutics, endocrine disease mechanisms and the development of novel therapies for endocrine cancers.
Purnima Dubey, PhD
I am an associate professor in the Department of Microbiology at The Ohio State University and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James.
James Robert Fuchs, PhD
Research in the Fuchs lab is directed at the design and synthesis of bioactive compounds for the study and treatment of disease.
Deliang Guo, PhD
I am a professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at The Ohio State University and a member of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my work is focused on determining the key molecular targets in cancer metabolism and translating those findings into the clinical setting.
Vanessa Hale, DVM, PhD
I examine the role of the microbiome in disease susceptibility and pathogenesis.
Shuiying Hu, PhD
I am a member of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, where the overall goal of my research is to evaluate the contribution of solute carriers to cancer drug-induced toxicity profiles, particularly peripheral neuropathy.
Amanda Hummon, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention at the OSUCCC – James, where my research interests lie at the intersection of analytical chemistry and chemical biology, with a focus on cancer biology.
A. Douglas Kinghorn, PhD, DSc
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my current research focuses on the discovery of new anticancer agents, primarily from tropical plants.
Thomas John Knobloch, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on molecular carcinogenesis and its interaction with food-based, cancer risk reduction strategies.
Rachel Kopec, PhD
I am an assistant professor of human nutrition in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention at the OSUCCC – James.
Somashekar G Krishna, MD, MPH
As a gastroenterologist and advanced therapeutic endoscopist, I perform advanced endoscopic procedures, including endoscopic ultrasound, luminal stent placement, endoscopic suturing and endoscopic mucosal resection.
Samuel Kiyota Kulp, PhD
I am a research scientist in the College of Pharmacy, Division of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy at The Ohio State University, as well as a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where I focus on developing small-molecule anticancer agents targeting kinase signaling, epigenetics, tumor metabolism, and more recently, cancer cachexia.
Jiyoung Lee, PhD
As a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, I focus my research on discovering microbial contamination in the nexus of water-food environments and its linkage to health outcomes in multitemporal and spatial scales.
Tom Li, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where I bring a pharmacological perspective.
Xuefeng Liu, MD, MS
I am a professor in the departments of Pathology (primary) and Urology (secondary) at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and a member of the OSUCCC – James Molecular Carcinogenesis & Chemoprevention program.
Maria MILKOVA Mihaylova, PhD
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences at The Ohio State University and a recipient of the Block Lectureship Junior Faculty Award .
Darrion L Mitchell, MD, PhD
I am a radiation oncologist with a special interest in improving prognostic, diagnostic and treatment responses in patients with head and neck cancer and prostate cancer.
Amir Mortazavi, MD
As a medical oncologist, I manage all types of genitourinary malignancies, such as prostate, testicular, kidney and male genitalia cancers, yet my primary focus is clinical bladder cancer care.
Tania Oberyszyn, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on understanding the process of ultraviolet (UV) light-induced squamous cell carcinoma development.
Steve Oghumu, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on the molecular mechanisms of oral carcinogenesis and black raspberry-mediated oral chemoprevention.
Anil Parwani, MD, PhD, MBA
Dr. Anil Parwani is Chair of the Department of Pathology at The Ohio State University.
Dehua Pei, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on the molecular basis of biological processes by chemical methods.
Liva Rakotondraibe, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on the role of new, natural product sources in potential bioactive metabolites to combat cancer, chemoresistance and more.
Kristen Michelle Roberts, PhD
As a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, I focus my research on nutrition, phytochemicals (namely ellagitannins) and cancer prevention.
Zac Schultz, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on developing instrumentation for the detection of biomolecules and characterization of biological samples.
Eswar Shankar, PhD, MSc
I am an assistant research professor of Internal Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James.
Dan Spakowicz, PhD
I am a research assistant professor in the Division of Medical Oncology at The Ohio State University and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James.
Colleen Kelleher Spees, PhD, MEd, BS
As a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, I focus on nutritional genomics and cancer.
Peter P Stanich, MD, BS
My work in gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition includes specialized care for colon cancer prevention.
Matthew Sullivan, PhD
Through genome-resolved microbiome informatics, my group studies how viruses impact microbiomes across diverse ecosystems ranging from the oceans and soils to the human gut, lung, and other body sites.
Kevin Michael Sweet, MS
I am a professor in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Human Genetics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and have worked with colleagues in Ohio State’s College of Public Health and the Cancer Control Program at the OSUCCC – James for more than 20 years.
Fred Kinyuy Tabung, PhD, MSPH
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at Ohio State and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on the role of diet and lifestyle in cancer risk and survival, specifically among patients with gastrointestinal cancers.
Kristy L Townsend, PhD, MA, BS
The Townsend Laboratory for Neurobiology and Energy Balance conducts basic and translational research into neural plasticity and metabolism, and 3 areas of our research have intersections with cancer biology and treatments: 1) We investigate obesity, a metabolically unhealthy state with high risk for certain cancers.
Li-Chun Tu, MS, PhD, BS
As a member of Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, my research seeks to understand the origin and underlying physical principles of human genome organization and dynamics in the cell nucleus and to solve genetic alterations that lead to cancer.
Yael Vodovotz, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on the chemical changes of functional foods in bioactives delivery.
Qi-En Wang, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on DNA repair, cancer stem cells, and chemotherapy resistance, with an emphasis on ovarian cancer.
Shang-Jui Wang, MD, PhD
I am a radiation oncologist who specializes in radiation therapy for genitourinary cancers, including prostate cancer, bladder cancer and testicular cancer.
Chenran Wang, MD
I am interested in the tumor micro-environment for breast cancer brain metastasis.
Haitao Wen, PhD, MD
As a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, the long-term goal of my lab is to investigate the function and mechanism of glucose and mitochondrial metabolism in the antitumor immunity during colorectal cancer (CRC) development.
Traci Ann Wilgus, PhD
My research focuses on the pro-angiogenic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in skin carcinogenesis.
Gang Xin, PhD
I am an assistant professor in the Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity at The Ohio State University and a research scientist within the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology at the OSUCCC – James.
Kristine Ellen Yoder, PhD
I am an associate professor in the Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics at The Ohio State University and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on retroviral integration and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to disable integrated retroviruses.
Jiangjiang Zhu, PhD
I am the Provost’s Scarlet and Gray Associate Professor in the Department of Human Sciences at The Ohio State University and a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James.
Ouliana Ziouzenkova, PhD
I am a member of the Molecular Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Program at the OSUCCC – James, where my research focuses on how nutrients regulate genes and can prevent metabolic diseases.