T32 ITCB mentors
Mentoring team work with ITCB fellows to help guide and inform research projects, including best practices for incorporating key principles of health disparities and community-engaged research into their individual development plan.
Fellows will engage with mentors on a regular basis through laboratory-based experiences as well as through participation in ITCB Program components.
Azeddine Atfi, Ph.D.
Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dr. Atfi is the ITCB Program Director and has extensive expertise in basic and translational cancer research. Throughout his career, he has made many major contributions dissecting molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways involved in cancer pathogenesis and progression using genetic and pharmacological approaches both in vitro and in vivo. Trainees working with him will have opportunities to focus on developing therapeutic approaches that will eliminate cachexia, which is often a mortality-related consequence of chemotherapy.
Paula Bos, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Pathology
Dr. Bos’ NCI-funded research focuses on the crosstalk between immune and brain resident cells in the establishment and outgrowth of brain metastasis. She has mentored four postdoctoral fellows, five graduate students, and several undergraduate and medical students, all of whom continued in academic or industry settings. Trainees working in the Bos laboratory will obtain expertise in the tumor microenvironment and metastasis biology and will learn to utilize and design genetic models to answer mechanistic questions.
James Burch, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor, Family Medicine & Population Health
Dr. Burch’s current research focuses on relationships between circadian disruption and cancer incidence or survival. This work has the potential to identify novel biobehavioral and molecular signatures that could be used to improve early detection of colorectal cancer risk. He has helped document persistent, incompletely explained racial cancer disparities that occur among Black/AA populations. Dr. Burch can lend his expertise in cancer disparities and provide training in collecting and analyzing biophysiological data related to cancer incidence and survival. He has directly supervised eight doctoral and seven graduate Masters students. About one third of his mentees are minority students. He currently serves as the primary Advisor or Co-Advisor for one Masters and three Doctoral degree candidates, one of whom was awarded a predoctoral fellowship through an NCI Diversity Supplement.
Anthony Faber, Ph.D.
Professor, Philips Institute for Oral Health Research
Dr. Faber holds the Congdon Family Chair in Cancer Research and co-leads Massey’s Developmental Therapeutics research program. His laboratory studies targeted therapies in solid tumors where he has previously and currently mentored several postdoc fellows and graduate students. Dr. Faber is currently a co-mentor on an F32 fellowship for a student studying ferroptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
Victoria Findlay, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Surgery
Dr. Findlay joined VCU in May 2022 from the Medical University of South Carolina where she was the Director of the Graduate Training Program in Pathology and Lab Medicine. At Massey, she serves as the co-leader for the Cancer Prevention & Control research program. Her NCI-funded research is on early life factors (e.g., dietary quality) and their effect on mammary development during puberty and how they relate to increased breast cancer risk. She is a translational scientist with expertise in identifying biological risk factors that may contribute to cancer and cancer disparities, notably in breast and prostate cancers.
Paul Fisher, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Human and Molecular Genetics
Director, VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine
Dr. Fisher’s work focuses on the progression to metastasis with particular emphasis on exploiting this accrued knowledge to identify molecular targets, generate targeted therapeutics, and develop innovative molecular tools. Mentors working with Dr. Fisher will gain knowledge about translating laboratory studies from bench to bedside as he has done with many of his research studies. For instance, Dr. Fisher’s laboratory is exploring ways of inhibiting the expression of several oncogenes using genetic and pharmacological approaches, including small molecule inhibitors of protein-protein interactions, protein degradation (PROTEC), oncolytic viruses and immunotherapy.
David Gewirtz, Ph.D.
Professor, Pharmacology & Toxicology
For the past 30 years, Dr. Gewirtz’s research has been directed toward experimental chemotherapy and radiotherapy in cancer. These efforts have helped define autophagy and senescence as primary responses to chemotherapy and radiotherapy in solid tumor cell models. His laboratory has established the capacity of cells induced into senescence by chemotherapy and radiation to undergo proliferative recovery, potentially as models of tumor dormancy and disease recurrence. Further, they have demonstrated the capacity of senolytic agents to eliminate tumor cells induced into senescence by chemotherapy and radiation both in cell culture and tumor-bearing animal models. As a mentor, Dr. Gewirtz can provide trainees with his strong research expertise and valuable experience working with solid tumor cell and animal models. He has trained between 30 to 40 Ph.D., Masters and undergraduate students and currently has three Ph.D. and three Masters students working in his laboratory.
Gordon Ginder, M.D.
Professor, Internal Medicine
Dr. Ginder is the former director of Massey and has had a long-standing research focus on epigenetic mechanisms of gene silencing. A particular focus of current studies is on the mechanism by which DNA methylation silences tumor suppressor genes. Recent studies have shown the ability of the methyl cytosine-binding protein MBD2 to silence a specific set of tumor suppressor genes and to promote cell growth and survival in highly aggressive triple-negative breast cancer. Dr. Ginder’s laboratory is now developing approaches to disrupt the association of MBD2 with the NuRD co-repressor complex using a covalently stapled coiled coil domain peptide identified by NMR structural analysis as the site of interaction of MBD2 with p66, a key component of the NuRD complex. Trainees working with Dr. Ginder will have opportunities to explore genetic, multidisciplinary research across the translational pipeline.
Steven Grant, M.D.
Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry, Pharmacology and Human & Molecular Genetics
Massey Associate Director, Translational Research
Dr. Grant currently serves as co-leader of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at Massey. He has sustained long-standing NCI funding for studies examining the mechanisms of action of targeted agents in hematologic malignancies, many of which have been translated into early-phase trials in these diseases. He has trained a variety of undergraduate and medical students, as well as Ph.D.s, M.D.s, Ph.D. candidates and postdoctoral fellows, several of whom have gone on to pursue independent academic investigative careers. Trainees working with Dr. Grant will gain expertise in the molecular pharmacology of targeted anti-neoplastic agents and may participate in studies examining approaches to circumventing drug resistance in multiple myeloma, a phenomenon prevalent in African-American patients.
Hisashi Harada, Ph.D.
Professor, Philips Institute for Oral Health Research
Dr. Harada’s current NCI-funded research focuses on the efficacies of chemotherapies followed by senolytics for breast and lung cancer treatment and targeting gain-of-function p53 and BCL-2 for small cell lung cancer treatment. He has mentored numerous junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, dental students, undergraduate students, and research assistants. Trainees working with Dr. Harada will gain expertise related to the molecular mechanisms of tumorigenesis and therapy response and resistance.
Chuck Harrell, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Pathology
Dr. Harrell’s NCI-funded research focuses on identifying new therapeutic strategies to overcome carboplatin-resistance for triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients (R01). He is also funded to develop and test patient-derived xenograft models from patients of African descent (R21). He has mentored undergraduate students, Masters and Ph.D. students, M.D./Ph.D. students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty. In 2020, he received the mentor of the month award from the VCU Center on Health Disparities for his mentoring of a VCU Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program student. Dr. Harrell's laboratory currently has two patient advocates both of whom had TNBC and actively participate in his research program. Trainees mentored by Dr. Harrell may contribute to collaborative studies to develop new therapies for breast cancer as well as those focusing on the development and characterization of new cancer models that encompass ancestrally-diverse patient samples.
Joseph Landry, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Human & Molecular Genetics
Dr. Landry’s research can provide unique opportunities for T32 trainees. He studies the epigenetic regulation of the genome, and his work includes breast and lung cancer models. He has discovered roles for chromatin remodeling complexes in cell-type specific gene expression, embryonic and immune system development, and tumor immunogenicity. His research has connected chromatin remodeling with antitumor immunity, providing opportunities for novel therapeutic targets. Using preclinical mouse models, he has contributed to the development of a first-in-class family of bromodomain inhibitors, which are in their third generation. His work studying epigenetic regulation of the cancer genome has expanded into the use of CRISPR/Cas9, humanized mice, PDXs and novel cell line reporters of dormancy.
Masoud Manjili, Ph.D.
Professor, Microbiology & Immunology
Dr. Manjili’s DoD-funded research focuses on understanding breast cancer dormancy and immunotherapeutic targeting of dormant cells by means of a circulating RNA vaccine. He has mentored junior faculty members, clinical residents and fellows, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students. Trainees mentored by Dr. Manjili will gain expertise related to cancer immunology as they relate to neoadjuvant chemotherapy and personalized cancer vaccines for patients with HER2-positive and triple-negative breast cancers.
Iain Morgan, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Oral & Craniofacial Molecular Biology
Director, Philips Institute of Oral Health Research
Associate Dean for Research, School of Dentistry
Dr. Morgan’s laboratory examines the human papillomavirus 16 life cycle in deregulating oral keratinocyte biology, including their malignant transformation. His research aims to understand how the viral proteins E1 and E2 interact with host protein factors and signaling pathways to replicate the HPV genome. Dr. Morgan has extensive experience mentoring Ph.D. and postdoctoral scholars. He has successfully directly mentored 10 Ph.D. students, all of whom obtained at least one first-author manuscript (ordinarily more) and went on to research positions including Faculty positions. Also, he has directly supervised six postdoctoral scholars, all of whom remain research active and some of whom are in faculty positions. In a prior position as Dean for Postgraduate Research at the University of Glasgow, he had overall oversight of around 600 Ph.D. students.
Patrick Nana-Sinkam, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Medicine
Chair, Division of Pulmonary Disease & Critical Care Medicine
Associate Director, Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research
Dr. Nana-Sinkam’s research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of lung cancer and identification of novel tumor biomarkers for early lung cancer detection and surveillance. He has been funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institutes as well as the NCI and is currently the PI on a U01 investigating the role of extracellular vesicles in small cell lung cancer and a KL2 training award. Dr. Nana-Sinkam has mentored nearly 50 trainees and early career faculty, and within the Wright Center, he serves as the lead for faculty development. Trainees working in the Nana-Sinkam laboratory will gain expertise related to the development of clinical biomarkers in the context of lung cancer early detection and prognosis and understanding the role of epigenetics including non-coding RNAs and the epitranscriptome in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.
Senthil Radhakrishnan, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Pathology
Dr. Radhakrishnan’s laboratory is focused on understanding and targeting the cellular protein quality control pathways such as the ubiquitin-proteasome system and the autophagy-lysosomal system in cancer. Using breast cancer and Ewing sarcoma as model systems, current work is directed toward defining the proteasome synthesis pathway regulated by the transcription factor Nrf1; identifying targetable/druggable positive and negative regulators of the Nrf1 pathway; developing chemical inhibitors for DDI2, a protease that positively regulates Nrf1; and exploring the role of Nrf1 in proteasome inhibitor-induced compensatory autophagy. Trainees working in his laboratory will benefit from his research expertise in developing novel therapeutic options that target the ubiquitin-proteasome system in various human pathologies including cancer.
Fadi Salloum, Ph.D.
Professor, Internal Medicine (Cardiology)
Congdon Endowed Chair, Pauley Heart Center
Associate Chair for Research, Internal Medicine
Dr. Salloum’s research program focuses on cancer therapy-induced cardiotoxicity and he is currently funded by a seven-year R35 award from NHLBI in addition to a Phase II R44 (SBIR) from NHLBI. He has mentored numerous graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty, many of whom have been funded by the American Heart Association and the NIH (pre- and postdoctoral grants as well as career development K awards). His research focuses on understanding the impact of cardiac comorbidities on Black/AA versus White patients with breast cancer to understand why Black/AA women with breast cancer have worse cardiovascular outcomes secondary to cancer treatment. Trainees working with Dr. Salloum will have opportunities to assess the molecular mechanisms leading to cardiotoxicity while studying the effects of comorbid conditions that are more prevalent in Black/AA cancer patients in an effort to address disparities in outcomes.
Devanand Sarkar, MBBS, Ph.D.
Professor, Human & Molecular Genetics
Associate Director, Research Training & Education
Dr. Sarkar’s research is funded by NCI, NIDDK, and NINDS and focuses on understanding the molecular mechanism of fatty liver disease and liver cancer and developing novel therapy. He also studies mechanisms of racial disparity in liver cancer. He has mentored many junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate, undergraduate and high school students. Trainees working with him will gain expertise related to in-depth molecular mechanisms, mouse modeling, and preclinical therapeutic studies with a focus on Black/AA patients with liver cancer.
Said Sebti, Ph.D.
Professor, Pharmacology & Toxicology
Lacy Family Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
Massey Associate Director, Basic Science
Dr. Sebti recently received a prestigious NCI Outstanding Investigator award. He has a broad background in basic cancer research with extensive experience in cell biology, signal transduction, drug discovery and translational research with a focus on the Ras superfamily of GTPases. Among his accomplishments is the development of inhibitors of mutant Ras-driven aberrant signal transduction pathways. He has oversight and spearheads Massey’s basic research programs and initiatives and promotes the translation of laboratory discoveries to the clinic through the Molecules to Medicine Initiative. He has extensive experience in technology transfer and commercialization with over 100 patents issued and several technologies licensed. Some of these have formed the basis for start-up companies, and three have reached clinical trials. Given his research experience, trainees can learn crucial strategies for conducting and translating cancer biology discoveries and commercializing these innovations.
Can Senkal, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Dr. Senkal’s research focuses on the metabolism, regulation and biological functions of bioactive sphingolipids in cancer. His NCI-funded laboratory investigates the regulation of ceramide synthase enzymes by protein-protein interaction and elucidates the outcomes of this regulation in response to anti-cancer therapies. Dr. Senkal is currently mentoring two postdoctoral fellows, two graduate and three undergraduate students. Trainees working with Dr. Senkal will learn about bioactive lipid biochemistry and foster adept knowledge of the functions of sphingolipids in cancer-related biologies such as response to therapy, metastasis and drug-resistance.
Sarah Spiegel, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Trainees working in Dr. Spiegel’s laboratory will explore research focused on the lipid mediator S1P, whose role in cell growth regulation was discovered in her laboratory more than a decade ago. Her laboratory studies how S1P regulates many processes important for immunity and cancer, including cell growth, survival, angio- and lymphangiogenesis, and recruitment of immune cells. More recently, her laboratory identified direct intracellular targets of S1P, including HDACs and tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2), thereby uncovering a key role of S1P in inflammatory signaling. Their research continues to focus on the roles of S1P, the enzymes that regulate its levels (SphK1 and SphK2), and the S1P receptors and intracellular targets of S1P in the pathophysiology of breast and colorectal cancer.
Yue Sun, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Philips Institute for Oral Health Research
Research in Dr. Sun’s laboratory focuses on abnormal signaling events and micro-environmental regulation in cancer progression. Currently, his group is particularly interested in defining novel regulators that control head and neck cancer tumor initiation, metastasis and response to immunotherapies. This research will lead to the development of novel anti-cancer therapies. Trainees in his laboratory can learn from and contribute to his current research focused on the novel role of phosphoinositide signaling in cancer progression and utilizing this control point as a target for future development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics.
Theresa Swift-Scanlan, Ph.D.
Professor, Adult Health & Nursing Systems
Director, Biobehavioral Laboratory Services
Dr. Swift-Scanlan’s research is focused on the epigenetics of chronic illness; specifically, the study of variables that mediate or moderate interactions between environmental influences, biology and behavior. She is particularly interested in identifying molecular biomarkers that can be utilized to improve risk assessment, early detection and or targeted interventions for cancer. Trainee opportunities with Dr. Swift-Scanlan will focus on research examining molecular markers as tools for early detection and individualized risk assessment.
Jose Trevino, M.D., FACS
Associate Professor, Surgery
Dr. Trevino’s research identifies molecular characteristics that help differentiate molecular signatures between pancreatic tumors among Blacks and Latinos. He is currently designing and developing a new precision medicine-based treatment approach involving stearoyl-linked-Gemcitabine with surface-modified anti-EGFR antibody nanoparticles utilizing orthotopic PDX pancreatic animal models based on the similarities and differences in sequencing of pancreatic cancer genomes of Blacks, Latinos and non-Hispanic whites. He also has active research related to cancer control, specifically in better understanding reasons for racial/ethnic disparities in clinical and surgical outcomes among cancer patients with adenocarcinomas. As such, Dr. Trevino can offer trainees mentorship for interdisciplinary cancer disparities research across the research continuum.
David Turner, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Surgery
Dr. Turner’s research examines if the increased bioavailability of a heterogeneous group of peptide, lipid and nucleotide post-translational modifications called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), is a common consequence of health inequity. His research supports an oncogenic role for “health inequity AGEs” in promoting prostate tumor growth, progression, and metastatic disease. As a basic/translational scientist with expertise in the socioeconomic and environmental implications of cancer health disparity, this work has developed a research niche. Therefore, Dr. Turner offers trainees unique opportunities at the intersection of cancer biology and disparities research.
Xiang-Yang Wang, Ph.D.
Professor, Human & Molecular Genetics
Co-leader of the Developmental Therapeutics research program, Dr. Wang’s laboratory focuses on the roles of scavenger receptors in host immune functions and defining the molecular basis of immunomodulating properties of stress proteins, with the goal of developing novel or improved therapeutic strategies for cancer treatment. They recently discovered that scavenger receptor A (SRA) or CD204, a prototype member of the SR family and a pattern-recognition receptor, is capable of attenuating immunostimulatory activities of ‘danger’ molecules or adjuvants (e.g., toll-like receptor agonists and HSPs), therefore, dampening the antitumor immune responses generated by therapeutic vaccines. They are focusing on the elucidation of the mechanisms by which SRA/CD204 and other SRs modulate host immune responses in different contexts using molecular, cellular and immunological approaches. ITCB trainees working with him will be well positioned to contribute to basic and translational immunological research.
Yuesheng Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, Pharmacology & Toxicology
Harrigan, Haw and Luck Families Chair in Cancer Research
Dr. Zhang’s NCI-funded research focuses on mechanisms of cancer resistance to EGFR and HER2 inhibitors, as well as the discovery and development of agents that overcome such resistance. He has mentored graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty. Trainees working in Dr. Zhang's laboratory will gain expertise related to receptor tyrosine kinases biology, cancer drug resistance and cancer drug development.
Bernard Fuemmeler, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Professor, Family Medicine & Population Health
Gordon D. Ginder MD Chair in Cancer Research
Massey Associate Director, Population Science
In addition to his academic appointments, Dr. Fuemmeler is the founder and scientific advisor for the Health Communication & Digital Innovation Shared Resource. Dr. Fuemmeler’s research in cancer prevention takes a life-course approach toward understanding the biological and social factors contributing to the onset of cancer-related health behaviors that generate the most risk (e.g., obesity, tobacco use, physical inactivity). He is also interested in how to harness novel statistical methods and leverage digital technologies, like geospatial analysis, big data, mobile and sensors. Trainees in his laboratory work on geospatial analysis of neighborhood characteristics related to secondhand smoke exposure and adolescent vaping/tobacco use, secondary data examining cancer risk factors, social media and cancer communication, and emerging projects examining cancer risk among firefighters and neighborhood factors associated with cancer outcomes among Black/AA and rural cancer survivors.
Mignonne Guy, Ph.D.
Associate Professor and Chair, African American Studies
Dr. Guy teaches courses on social drivers of health and health inequities in Black/AA populations, medical and scientific racism, and interdisciplinary research methods. She holds several national advisory positions including serving on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Advisory Council for Building Capacity to Reduce Tobacco Inequities in the south and midwest and as Co-Chair for the Racial and Equity Task Force in the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. Her recent research engages a variety of stakeholders from communities, academic institutions, policymakers, funding agencies and publishing entities from across the nation to develop and disseminate an anti-racist and equity-centered research agenda and a roadmap for eliminating tobacco-related inequities among Black/AA tobacco users. She will contribute her expertise in community-based participatory research on tobacco use among various populations using qualitative, quantitative and mixed methodologies.
Rashelle Hayes, Ph.D., LCP, NCTTP
Associate Professor, Psychiatry
Dr. Hayes is a licensed clinical health psychologist with expertise in cancer prevention and control. Her research has examined individual and socio-environmental determinants of behavior change, particularly within ethnic/racial groups and other underserved and medical populations (e.g., Latinx, asthma and cancer patients, light and intermittent smokers, rural populations, bariatric surgery patients), in order to address cancer health disparities. Other areas of disparities research include examining lung cancer screening behavior among Black/AA populations, understanding the differential impact of technology on smoking cessation treatment implementation among various underserved populations, and use and quitting behavior of alternative tobacco products among low-income populations. Dr. Hayes is a core faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry’s Clinical Health Psychology Fellowship, and she has mentored students in their clinical and research work related to cancer prevention and control.
Vanessa Sheppard, P.hD.
Professor and Chair, Health Behavior & Policy
Dr. Sheppard focuses on improving cancer outcomes for women of color via cancer care delivery and behavioral interventions. Her research largely focuses on breast cancer from a health equity lens, including methods to improve access to genetic screening and health promotion among breast cancer survivors. Opportunities for trainees include engagement in primary data collection (behavior, clinical, biomarkers), secondary analysis of large databases, analysis of data from exercise intervention trials and data (e.g., clinical, patient-reported, biological) from large observational studies.
Arnethea Sutton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology & Health Sciences
Dr. Sutton has expertise in identifying multilevel factors that contribute to racial inequities and racial disparities in cancer. Specifically, her work focuses on understanding psychosocial, sociocultural, and cancer care delivery factors that contribute to poorer outcomes in Black/AA women with breast cancer. In her current work, funded by a K99/R00 from the NCI, she is examining multilevel contributors to racial disparities in treatment-related cardiovascular toxicities in women with breast cancer.
Katherine Milligan-Tossas, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Health Behavior & Policy
Dr. Tossas is a cancer epidemiologist whose work, research, and teaching are grounded in health equity and how differential access to and quality of health care impacts cancer outcomes for racial/ethnic, sexual/gender and geographic minorities. As Director for Massey’s Office of Catchment Area Data Access and Alignment, she provides strategic and administrative direction in the development and maintenance of the Massey catchment area. Training opportunities will include cancer health disparities, evaluating community screening programs and characterizing cancer burden.
Robert Winn, M.D.
Massey Director and Lipman Chair in Oncology
Professor, Internal Medicine
Dr. Winn is internationally known for his research and leadership in cancer health equity science. He is a pulmonologist with basic and clinical research focused on proliferation pathways and cellular senescence in lung cancer and a strong interest in community-based care and health disparity research. Training opportunities with Dr. Winn will focus on translational science, community-based participatory research, and cancer health disparities and lung cancer. Currently, he is leading a multi-institutional, NCI-funded P20 SPORE in lung cancer health equity, which will provide many engagement opportunities for the T32 trainees.
