COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) announces the following awards, honors, grants and more that were recently given to the organization, teams or individuals: NCI renews T32 training grant for cancer prevention and control The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded the OSUCCC – James and the Ohio State College of Medicine a five-year, approximately $2 million renewal of a T32 Institutional Training Grant to support postdoctoral researchers in the area of cancer prevention and control. Program directors for the grant are Peter Shields, MD, emeritus professor in the divisions of Medical Oncology and Cancer Prevention and Control, and former deputy director of the OSUCCC; and Chyke Doubeni, MD, MPH, chief health equity officer at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center, associate director for diversity, equity and inclusion at the OSUCCC – James, and professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine. Associate program director is Ce Shang, PhD, associate professor in the Division of Medical Oncology and member of the Cancer Control Program at the OSUCCC – James. The NCI’s T32 program helps institutions develop or enhance cancer research training opportunities for pre- and postdoctoral fellows. This renewal will provide five more years of funding to the original grant that began in 2018 and will provide four postdoctoral training slots. In addition, the OSUCCC – James is supporting one postdoctoral fellow in the program for a total of five slots per year. T32 support includes stipend, tuition and travel benefits to all appointed fellows. To date, the Training Program for Cancer Prevention and Control at Ohio State has enrolled nine fellows. Of the six who have completed training, four are in academic tenure-track positions and two continue to work in cancer intensive research. To date, 78% of the fellows have been women, and 33% have been from groups historically underrepresented in medicine. OSUCCC – James researchers receive multiple NCI immunotherapy grants The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has awarded researchers at the OSUCCC – James a five-year, $3.26 million grant to study whether blocking a molecular pathway called CD200R enhances the immune system’s ability to combat cancer. Principal investigator is Sujit Basu, MD, PhD, of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC James. Scientists Susheela Tridandapani, PhD, and Jonathan Butchar, PhD, both of the Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies Program at the OSUCCC – James, have received a five-year, $3.1 million NCI grant for a ligand study that may enhance immunotherapy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). A ligand is a molecule that binds to another molecule. OSUCCC – James researchers will use a five-year, $3 million NCI grant to test the effectiveness of a monoclonal antibody they have developed as an immunotherapeutic agent in mouse models of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Zihai LI, MD, PhD, founding director of the Pelotonia Institute for Immunotherapy (PIIO) at the OSUCCC – James, is principal investigator. Prestigious grant to grow critical support, resources for research-minded residents Because the medical field in the United States faces a growing shortage of physician and surgeon-scientists, the Office of Physician-Scientist Education and Training in The Ohio State University College of Medicine (COM) created the Physician Scientist Development Program (PSDP) to expand, diversify and strengthen the physician-scientist workforce by offering research training opportunities to residents in all COM departments. Ginny L. Bumgardner, MD, PhD, FACS, professor in the Department of Surgery and associate dean for physician-scientist education and training in the COM, recently secured an NIH R38 StARR (Stimulating Access to Research During Residency) grant that will help eligible residents join the PSDP to conduct research in various subspecialties while connecting them to postdoctoral research mentors and the physician-scientist community at Ohio State. Robert Baiocchi, MD, PhD, professor in the Division of Hematology and faculty program director for the PSDP, is co-investigator on the R38. College of Medicine residency programs are among best in nation Doximity, the largest networking community of health care professionals in the country, annually conducts a national poll of board-certified physicians to evaluate the caliber of accredited residency programs. This year, five residency programs at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center are considered top-10 programs, and three additional programs have been recognized among the top 20 programs nationwide, based on physician reputation. The top 20 programs include: Otolaryngology (No. 5) Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics in partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital (No. 7) General Surgery (No. 8) Child Neurology (Nationwide Children’s Hospital program in the Ohio State College of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics) (No. 8) Pediatrics (Nationwide Children’s Hospital program in the Ohio State College of Medicine Department of Pediatrics) (No. 9) Plastic Surgery (No. 12) Obstetrics and Gynecology (No. 16) Radiation Oncology (new program to make the list) (No. 18) Lonser elected as chair of ABNS Russell Lonser, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, was elected as chair of the American Board of Neurological Surgery (ABNS), which works to encourage the study, improve the practice, elevate the standards and advance the science of neurological surgery. The primary purposes of the ABNS are to conduct examinations of candidates who seek certification, and to issue certificates to those who meet board requirements and satisfactorily complete the exam. Lonser specializes in resection of brain, spinal cord, pituitary and brainstem tumors. His research includes nervous system drug delivery, gene therapy and tumor biology. To read more about OSUCCC – James awards, honors, accreditations and more, visit cancer.osu.edu. For others news about the OSUCCC – James, visit our News & Media site or read our latest publication. ### MEDIA CONTACT Amanda Harper amanda.harper2@osumc.edu | 614-685-5420 https://cancer.osu.edu/news