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Jennifer R. Grandis, MD
Jennifer R. Grandis, MD
Dr. Grandis is Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery and Associate Vice Chancellor for Clinical and Translational Research at UCSF, where she also directs the Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI). Her own research efforts are focused on elucidating and targeting key signaling pathways in head and neck cancer. She directed the head and neck cancer program at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute from 1998-2014 and in this capacity facilitated collaborations between clinicians and investigators with an emphasis of developing a robust research infrastructure to support translational cancer studies. She served as PI of the SPORE in Head and Neck Cancer at the University of Pittsburgh from 2002-2014 and now serve as Co-PI of that SPORE in a multi-PI structure. She is a member of the Developmental Therapeutics Program at the HDFCCC and facilitate interactions between the cancer center and the CTSI.
Elise Alspach, PhD
Elise Alspach, PhD
Dr. Alspach is Assistant Professor at St. Louis University School of Medicine. Cancer immunotherapies are profoundly effective in a minority of cancer patients. My research program aims to identify mechanisms of resistance to immunotherapies by studying the interactions between immune cell subsets and fibroblasts that make up the tumor stroma. Understanding how stromal phenotype impacts anti-tumor immune responses will identify potential combinatorial strategies to broaden and enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade and other immunomodulating treatments.
Justin Lathia, PhD
Justin Lathia, PhD
Dr. Lathia leads a translational cancer stem cell research laboratory and is Vice Chair and Associate Professor in the Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences at the Lerner Research Institute, part of the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Lathia is also the Co-Director of the Brain Tumor Research and Therapeutic Development Center of Excellence. He is also the Reza Khatib MD Professor, Leader of the Brain Tumor Initiative, and Co-Leader of the Molecular Oncology Program at the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center. Projects in the Lathia laboratory involve understanding how cancer stem cells interact with their surrounding microenvironment as well as one another with the goal of identifying unique pathways for therapeutic development. Work in the Lathia laboratory has resulted in a Phase 1 clinical trial aimed at targeting myeloid-derived suppressor cells that interact with cancer stem cells to suppress the immune system in glioblastoma.
Monica L. Baskin, PhD
Monica L. Baskin, PhD
Dr. Baskin is professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and associate director of community outreach and engagement at Hillman Cancer Center. She also serves as associate director of health equity at Hillman Cancer Center and assistant vice chancellor for community health equity within the Office of the Senior Vice Chancellor for the Health Sciences at Pitt. On the Hillman leadership team, Dr. Baskin directs community outreach and engagement in the catchment area served by the cancer center. She also leads screening and prevention studies to quantify and overcome barriers to screening and early detection of cancer in under-represented minority and rural populations across the Hillman network. For nearly 20 years, Dr. Baskin has led an extensive extramurally funded research program aimed at reducing health disparities in the Deep South. Most of her research has focused on community-based participatory methods that link academic partners to community- and faith-based networks to better understand and address factors associated with healthy eating, physical activity, obesity and cancer prevention and control.
Rohit Bhargava, MD
Rohit Bhargava, MD
Dr. Bhargava is a Professor of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Chief of Pathology at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC. He is also the Program Director of Breast/Gynecologic Pathology Clinical Instructorship (Fellowship) at UPMC. Dr. Bhargava is an experienced breast pathologist and the sole author of the book titled "Simplified and Illustrated Breast Pathology: A Book for All Breast Care Providers". Dr. Bhargava and his colleagues at Magee-Womens Hospital are credited to the development of Magee Equations.
Lan G. Coffman, MD, PhD
Lan G. Coffman, MD, PhD
Dr. Coffman is a physician scientist actively conducting laboratory based and translational research and maintaining a specialized clinical practice focused on the medical treatment of ovarian cancer. Dr. Coffman’s research focuses on understanding and targeting the cancer supporting stromal tissues which are critical to the survival, growth and spread of ovarian cancer. Specifically, Dr, Coffman’s lab studies a critical non-malignant component of the ovarian cancer microenvironment, the carcinoma-associated mesenchymal stem cell (CA-MSC). CA-MSCs are stromal progenitor cells which significantly increase cancer growth, enrich the cancer stem cell pool and increase chemotherapy resistance. The lab studies how CA-MSCs are formed and develop tumor supporting properties. The lab also focuses on identifying important tumor cell:CA-MSC interactions which mediate CA-MSC’s pro-tumorigenic functions and have potential for translation into new therapeutic targets. Additionally, the lab studies how CA-MSCs impact the development of ovarian cancer metastasis and the metastatic microenvironment. The ultimate goal of this research is to translate novel laboratory findings into powerful therapeutic approaches for the prevention and treatment of ovarian cancer.
Wallis Wilde-Menozzi
Wallis Wilde-Menozzi
"Space for silence will help us perceive our interconnectedness." - WWM.
Using words to write a book on silence often felt like a contradiction to me. I sometimes longed for a solution like John Cage's, when muscians performed his composition of silence for four minutes and thirty-three silent seconds. Or like Tilley Olsen's, defining it from a single angle: the suffocating realities of women who were without means and fair chances. Instead, my experience of a cross-cultural existence made my translation of silence inevitably one of continuous openings: flows and breaks suggesting horizons beyond the narrow definitions we assume in identity, our histories, our language. I composed the final chapters of Silence and Silences in Italy during a lockdown period in the pandemic. Covid 19 penetrated--but by no means dictated--the book's flow. My writing assumes that the unknown is always right before our eyes. In the world ahead, to live fully we will need more courage, imagination and equality. Giving space to silence and unknowing will help us perceive our interconnectedness.
Neil Carleton
Neil Carleton
Neil is currently in his fifth year in the MD/PhD program here at the University of Pittsburgh. He is completing his PhD in Integrative Systems Biology with Adrian Lee & Steffi Oesterreich with a focus on breast cancer in older women. He also has a strong interest in gender equity and challenges in the physician scientist pipeline and has studied disparities in funding trajectories for physician scientists.
Amy Powers, MS
Amy Powers, MS
Amy is currently Research Specialist at the University of Pittsburgh. She is experienced with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry, and skilled in tissue engineering, cell culture, immunofluorescence, chemistry, and data analysis. Amy is a strong research professional with a Master's degree focused in Biomedical/Medical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.
Naveen Kumar Tangudu, PhD
Naveen Kumar Tangudu, PhD
Naveen was born and brought up in India. Since his school days, he has been fascinated with biology and joined as an undergraduate (B.Sc.,) in Biotechnology, Zoology, Chemistry and pursued Biotechnology as a specialization in masters (M.Sc.,). In 2009, he joined as project assistant in Environmental Protection Research Institute, where he started his journey as a researcher, to investigate on tropical plant pathogens using molecular biology techniques. However, he was always enthused to work on cancer biology to find cure for cancer. In 2010, he joined as a research fellow in Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology and intensively worked on breast and colon cancer mouse models, further utilized the advances of nanoparticles to rescue the cancer in mouse models. In 2013, he started his PhD in Ulm University, Germany. During his PhD, he focused on the role of macrophage in iron disorders (hemochromatosis) and heme disorders (beta-thalassemia and sickle cell disease). Indeed, he found that macrophage ferroportin, the only known iron exporter, is crucial to maintain the systemic iron homeostasis in iron and heme disorders. In 2019, he started as a post-doctoral fellow in Ulm University to investigate on Vitamin E and C effect on macrophage ferroportin. In the Aird lab, Naveen in investigating the loss of p16 in ATR mediated nucleotide metabolism via mTORC1.
Lisa A. McIlvried, PhD
Lisa A. McIlvried, PhD
Lisa completed her BS in Neuroscience and Psychology at Allegheny College, her PhD in Neurobiology at the University of Pittsburgh, and postdoctoral work at Washington University in St. Louis specializing in pain research. She is currently research faculty in the Dept of Neurobiology . Outside of work she enjoys hiking, playing volleyball, and time with family.
Annie Im, MD
Annie Im, MD
Dr. Im is Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology at University of Pittsburgh. As a clinical researcher, she has been involved in the development of clinical trials for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and GVHD. Specifically, she has implemented a trial for the treatment of AML in elderly patients using a novel induction regimen based on the mechanism of epigenetic priming. In addition, she has an interest in novel targets for the treatment of chronic GVHD, such as JAK-STAT pathway inhibition, and has implemented trials in this area in collaboration with the Chronic GVHD Research Group in the Experimental Transplantation and Immunology Branch of the National Cancer Institute. Her clinical interests also include development of a Chronic GVHD and Long-Term Follow Up program for the stem cell transplant program at UPMC. Dr. Im has also been heavily involved in medical education for residents and fellows, and is now the Program Director for the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship and the Subspecialty Education Coordinator for the Internal Medicine Residency. Dr. Im’s clinical focus is in hematologic malignancies and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Her current research interests are focused in the area of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a complication of stem cell transplant, as well as in late effects in transplant survivors.
Tullia C. Bruno, PhD
Tullia C. Bruno, PhD
Dr. Bruno is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Immunology at the University of Pittsburgh and a faculty member in the Tumor Microenvironment Center and the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program at the UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. She obtained her Ph.D. in Immunology from Johns Hopkins in 2010 and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Colorado in 2015—both with a focus in tumor immunology. While Dr. Bruno’s PhD training focused on inhibitory receptors on intratumoral T cells, she became interested in the role of B cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) during her postdoctoral fellowship and has built her independent research program around understanding intratumoral B cell function within tertiary lymphoid structures in multiple human cancers. Dr. Bruno’s research lab has an overt focus on studying immunity within cancer patients, which makes her research highly translational with the potential for future clinical trials targeting B cells. Thus, Dr. Bruno’s overall research objective is to develop a B cell-specific immunotherapy in the next five to ten years.
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