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-funded study takes aim at reducing smoking in rural Appalachia Researchers at the OSUCCC – James Center for Tobacco Research (CTR) will use a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to study the effectiveness of oral nicotine pouches in reducing tobacco use among smokers in rural Appalachia, which has the highest cancer incidence and mortality rates in the United States. Principal investigators for the study are Brittney Keller-Hamilton, PhD, MPH, (project leader), and Ted Wagener, PhD, director the CTR. Data shows while most cancer disparities are narrowing between Appalachian and non-Appalachian areas of the country, disparities in lung and oral cancers are widening, primarily because of a high prevalence of cigarette smoking (over 30% in many rural Appalachian counties vs. 11.5% nationally). 5-year NCI grant supports health disparities research Historical disparities in cancer outcomes persist between Black and non-Hispanic white patients, with multiple contributing causes ranging from genetics to social determinants of health (SDH). Willi Tarver, DrPH, assistant professor in the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control at Ohio State, where he also is in the Cancer Control Program at the OSUCCC – James, has received a five-year, $811,000 K01 grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to improve the assessment of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) among Black cancer patients. Hematologist Cottini receives first Mason Fisher grant, funded by Pelotonia Francesca Cottini, MD, has earned the inaugural Mason Fisher Grant, which provides funding for research of genetic mutations that can lead to cancer. The grant can reach $50,000 and is funded by Pelotonia, an organization that, through its annual cycling events, has raised more than $280 million for the OSUCCC – James. The grant is named for Mason Fisher, who passed away after experiencing a medical event at the 2022 Pelotonia. A student at in The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Fisher had planned to pursue a career as a cancer surgeon-scientist. Through the grant that bears his name, Fisher will inspire research that could break new ground in cancer care. As the first awardee, Cottini, a hematologist, will receive $50,000 to improve understanding of multiple myeloma, particularly the increased risk for patients of developing second hematologic malignancies. Mardis is ranked among nation’s and world’s ‘Best Female Scientists’ Elaine Mardis, PhD, professor in the departments of Pediatrics and Neurological Surgery at Ohio State and co-leader of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC – James, was named one of Research.com’s Best Female Scientists, ranking No. 35 in the United States and No. 56 in the world. Dr. Mardis, who also serves as co-executive director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, is additionally ranked No. 42 in the world and No. 25 nationally for genetics. The Research.com rankings are based on publication data from sources such as OpenAlex and Crossref. Her research identifies personalized therapeutic approaches to fighting cancer by determining common driver mutations/genes and pathways that can cause cancer to develop and progress. She co-holds five U.S. patents, including one for patient-specific, mutation-directed immunotherapy for cancer. Dr. Mardis has co-authored more than 350 articles in such publications as Cell, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Blood, and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a former president of the American Association for Cancer Research. Castle Connolly names more than 400 Ohio State faculty physicians 2024 top doctors The 2024 Castle Connolly Top Doctors List contains 403 faculty physicians at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, more than any other medical institution in central Ohio. Over 160 of the Wexner Medical Center physicians on the list are associated with Ohio State’s cancer program. Each year, Castle Connolly Top Doctors are peer-nominated and vetted by a physician-led research team. More than 68,000 physicians were listed as 2024 Top Doctors from a pool of more than 985,000 practicing physicians in the United States.