Meet the mentors
In addition to his role as associate director for cancer research training and education, Dr. Sarkar is a Professor in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics. His 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.
Dr. Findlay is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery. Prior to joining VCU, she served as Director of the Graduate Training Program in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Findlay currently serves as the co-leader for Massey’s Cancer Prevention and Control 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.
Dr. Fuemmeler is a Professor and the Gordon D. Ginder, M.D. Chair in Cancer Research, the associate director of population sciences, and the founder and scientific advisor for the Health Communication and 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).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 American and rural cancer survivors.
Dr. Hundley is the Director of the VCU Health Pauley Heart Center and an established expert in cardio-oncology. His research has been continuously NIH funded for over 22 years and focuses on preventive heart care for patients undergoing chemotherapy, which has been found to increase the risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular issues a decade or more after treatment. Dr. Hundley’s expertise and this study (UPBEAT) are valuable resources for trainees interested in cardio oncology. In addition, Dr. Hundley leads a T32 program focused on cardio-oncology. Dr. Hundley will lend his expertise in cancer-related cardiotoxicity and imagining methodology.
Dr. Litovchick is an Associate Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. She has a strong record of NIH and DOD research funding, including seminal works on the evolutionarily conserved transcriptional repressor complex DREAM, a master regulator of cell-cycle dependent gene expression. During her career, she has extensively published in peer-reviewed scientific journals. She is currently serving on the Cancer Drug Development and Therapeutics SBIR/STTR study section. Dr. Litovchick is committed to promoting diversity and inclusion, notably among emerging female biomedical scientists, and she has been an active mentor in VCU’s Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Scholars Program and for the Postbaccalaureate Research Program.
Dr. Nana-Sinkam is a Professor and Chair of the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine. His laboratory focuses on integrating both genomic and proteomic platforms to discover new biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and surveillance of tobacco related lung diseases, including cancer. Dr. Nana-Sinkam has had an interest in mentoring and faculty development throughout his career and currently serves as the associate director for the KL2 Career Development and Mentoring program within the VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. He has an active collaboration with Dr. Winn on their funded NCI P20 feasibility and planning cancer health disparities SPORE grant. Training opportunities with Dr. Nana-Sinkam includes learning about epigenetics and new biomarkers that are useful for understanding tobacco-related lung cancer.