Impact: New faculty recruits
In the last year, the center recruited 35 new researchers, increasing the center’s total National Cancer Institute (NCI) funding to an all-time high. Funding from the NCI is considered the most competitive and prestigious in the country, serving as the gold standard by which to measure research success and progress. The new recruits join the nearly 300 cancer researchers already part of the center and add depth and breadth to the center’s four research programs. Each of the four programs is recognized by the NCI for meeting rigorous criteria for world-class cancer research.
The following are just a few of the recent recruits and their areas of research:
- Ashiq Masood, MD, gastrointestinal cancers
- Mat Oprychal, MD, PhD, metastatic breast cancer
- Fabiana Perna, MD, PhD, immunotherapy
- Huda Salman, MD, PhD, immunotherapy
- Tyler Shugg, PhD, precision medicine
- Anita Turk, MD, gastrointestinal cancer
- Brian Walker, PhD, multiple myeloma
- Alan Wang, PhD, immunotherapy
Recruited to IU in 2018, Rachel Katzenellenbogen, MD, the Chuck and Tina Pagano Scholar, continues her work on cervical cancers and head and neck cancers, all of which are all caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV). She and colleagues conduct research focused on identifying biomarkers – measurable indicators that appear in the body when cancer is present – to increase the ability to screen people for HPV-related cancers and, ultimately, diagnose them much earlier.
Katzenellenbogen also serves as a mentor, helping to educate the next generation of cancer researchers.