SUMMER 2023 HEADLINES

With a $3.2 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, investigators from the UF Health Cancer Center and the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center will work to close evidence gaps in lung cancer care delivery. Over the five-year project, the team will examine the effectiveness of imaging surveillance strategies based on community-identified needs.

A UF research team led by Zhijian Qian, Ph.D., a professor and Pierre Chagnon Professor of Cancer Research in the division of hematology and oncology, has discovered a new role of a key protein in driving changes in the genetic material of cells, which has the potential to contribute to the development of cancer. The findings could pave the pay for new therapeutic targets for head and neck cancers.

The UF Health Cancer Center has awarded the 2023 American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grant Pilot Projects, as part of its efforts to support early-stage investigators in cancer-related research studies.

Thomas George, M.D., FACP, deputy director of the UF Health Cancer Center, has been elected chair of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) Steering Committee and assumes the position during the upcoming AACI Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. in October.

Janice Krieger, Ph.D., a professor in the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications, has been selected for the International Communication Association Fellows Class of 2023, one of the most prestigious honors in communication research.

The Cancer Center selected 12 outstanding scholars were chosen for the 2023-24 academic year.

Sherise Rogers, M.D., an assistant professor in the division of hematology and oncology, was selected as a recipient of the Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership at Yale University and joins the MBA for Executives Class of 2025.

Eric Miller, M.B.A., C.R.A., and Jacob Harmer will showcase the center’s innovative research administration strategies at the National Council of University Research Administrators 65th Annual Meeting on Aug. 6-9.

A new study led by Ramzi Salloum, Ph.D., an associate professor in the UF department of health outcomes and biomedical informatics, is investigating ways for cancer centers to sustain programs that help patients quit using tobacco. The five-year study is funded through a $2.8 million grant from the National Cancer Institute.

Kate Hitchcock, M.D., Ph.D., a clinical associate professor in the department of radiation oncology, and Luisel Ricks-Santi, Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of pharmacotherapy and translational research, contributed to recent publications exploring issues around diversity, equity and inclusion in oncology research.

John Ligon, M.D., an assistant professor in the department of pediatrics in the University of Florida College of Medicine, has received a grant from the Children’s Oncology Group to study the impact of race and ethnicity on immunotherapy outcomes in children and adolescent young adult patients with cancer. The Minority Young Investigator Award is funded through Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

Jennifer West, B.S.N., R.N., CCRC, ONN-CG, a clinical trials nurse navigator at the UF Health Cancer Center, is the co-author of a new article in the Journal of Oncology Navigation & Survivorship on the myths and truths about clinical trials.

Xin Tang, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the UF department of mechanical & aerospace engineering, has received a three-year $440,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to create an innovative framework to study the 3D, multifaceted behaviors of nerve cells as they relate to diseases, including cancer. This mechanobiological framework aims to open the door to develop next-generation drugs targeting cancer pain and associated diseases.

Jonathan D. Licht, M.D., director of the UF Health Cancer Center, was interviewed by WUFT News about how the center achieved designation from the National Cancer Institute and what it means for the future.

John Allen, Pharm.D., an associate dean for accessibility, belonging and community health and a clinical associate professor in the University of Florida College of Pharmacy, was selected for the prestigious American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s 2023-24 Academic Leadership Fellows Program.

One year after the UF College of Medicine launched the R01 Boot Camp, participants submitted 17 grant applications this summer, with more expected in the fall. Elias Sayour, M.D., Ph.D., co-leader of the UF Health Cancer Center’s Cancer Therapeutics & Host Response research program, is co-director of the boot camp.