Program 1: Cancer Genes and Pathways (CGP)

CGP iconResearch in the CGP program focuses on defining essential molecular and biological mechanisms underlying tumor pathogenesis and successful therapy. The primary goal of this basic science program is to discover, characterize, and validate new tumor alterations (genetic, molecular, and cellular pathways) to fuel translational cancer research that will lead to improved cancer patient outcomes.

Our program focuses on:

  • Identifying nuclear alterations that promote tumor development
  • Determining cell intrinsic mechanisms driving cellular transformation
  • Defining the role of tumor extrinsic factors in cancer development and suppression

Program Co-Leader: Rebecca D. Dodd, PhD, Associate Professor, Internal Medicine
Program Co-Leader: Dawn E. Quelle, PhD, Professor, Neuroscience and Pharmacology

Full Members

Vladimir Badovinac, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Pathology

Gail A. Bishop, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Director of Basic Research for Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Professor
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology, Internal Medicine

Marisa R. Buchakjian, MD, PhD, FACS

    Full Member,
  • Emerging Leaders Council (ELC) Chair, Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Director of Translational Head and Neck Cancer Research
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department: Otolaryngology

Carlos H.F. Chan, MD, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Surgery

Songhai Chen, MD, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Internal Medicine

John D. Colgan, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Benjamin Darbro, MD, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Pediatrics, Director, Shivanand R. Patil Cytogenetics and Molecular Laboratory

Kris A. DeMali, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Rebecca D. Dodd, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Adam J. Dupuy, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Director of Shared Resources for Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Anatomy and Cell Biology

Pamela K. Geyer, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Hasem Habelhah, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Pathology

John T. Harty, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Michael D. Henry, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Interim Director for Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Professor
  • Department: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Pathology, Urology, Radiation Oncology, Internal Medicine

Jon C. Houtman, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Director of Career Enhancement at Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology

James Howe, MD

    Full Member,
  • Co-Leader Gastrointestinal Neuroendocrine MOG
  • Professor
  • Department: Surgery

Priya D. Issuree, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Ali Jabbari, MD, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department Chair
  • Department: Dermatology

Zizhen Kang, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department: Pathology

Aloysius J. Klingelhutz, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Bing Li, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Pathology

Fang Lin, MD, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Anatomy and Cell Biology

Jia Luo, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Pathology

Anna Malkova, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Biology

Ashutosh K. Mangalam, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Pathology

Bryan T. Phillips, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Biology

Robert C. Piper, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

Miles A. Pufall, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Dawn E. Quelle, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Neuroscience and Pharmacology

Michael J. Schnieders, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Biomedical Engineering, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Maria Spies, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Jack T. Stapleton, MD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Christopher S. Stipp, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Biology

Erin E. Talbert, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department: Health and Human Physiology

Munir R. Tanas, MD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Pathology

Michael H. Tomasson, MD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Tina Tootle, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Anatomy and Cell Biology

M. Todd Washington, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Marc S. Wold, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Michael Wright, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

Li Wu, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Charles Yeaman, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Anatomy and Cell Biology

Erliang Zeng, PhD

    Full Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Preventive and Community Dentistry, Biostatistics

Clinical Members

Carol J. Holman, MD, PhD

    Clinical Member,
  • Clinical Professor
  • Department: Pathology

Associate Members

Dustin Bosch, MD, PhD

    Associate Member,
  • Assistant Professor of Pathology
  • Department: Pathology

Terry Braun , PhD

    Associate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Biomedical Engineering

Terry Braun, PhD

    Associate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Biomedical Engineering

Po Hien Ear, PhD

    Associate Member,
  • Research Assistant Professor
  • Department: Surgery

Jesus Gonzalez Bosquet, MD, PhD

    Associate Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Obstetrics and Gynecology

Colin P. Kenny, PhD

    Associate Member,
  • Research Assistant Professor
  • Department: Surgery

Thorsten Maretzky, PhD

    Associate Member,
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Jessica M. Tucker, PhD

    Associate Member,
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Moon Ley Tung, MBBS, MRCP, FRCPath

    Associate Member,
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department: Pediatrics

Vincent Wagner, MD

    Associate Member,
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department: Obstetrics and Gynecology

Affiliate Members

Michael G. Anderson, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Melissa L. Bates, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Adjunct Associate Professor
  • Department: Pediatrics, Health and Human Physiology

Noah Butler, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Kevin P. Campbell, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics
  • Roy J. Carver Biomedical Research Chair
  • Department: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

Thomas Casavant, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences

Anil K. Chauhan, MTech

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Rory A. Fisher, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Neuroscience and Pharmacology

Guillermo Flores, MD, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Resident Physician
  • Department: Otolaryngology

Ernesto J. Fuentes, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Marlan Hansen, MD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Otolaryngology, Neurosurgery

Bin Z. He, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Assistant Professor
  • Department: Biology

Bruce S. Hostager, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Associate Research Scientist
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Geeta Lal, MD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Surgery

Gloria Lee, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor Emeritus
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Kevin L. Legge, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Pathology

Steven R. Lentz, MD, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Joshua J. Lingo

    Affiliate Member,
  • Graduate Research Assistant
  • Department: Neuroscience and Pharmacology

Deqin Ma, MD, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Clinical Professor
  • Department: Pathology

John Manak, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Biology

Wendy J. Maury, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Scott Moye-Rowley, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

Stanley Perlman, MD, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Richard J. Roller, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Microbiology and Immunology

Todd Scheetz, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Biomedical Engineering

Alexa P. Sheehan

    Affiliate Member,
  • Graduate Research Assistant
  • PhD Student
  • Department: Internal Medicine

Diane Slusarski, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor Emeritus
  • Department: Biology

David R. Soll, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor Emeritus
  • Department: Biology

Mark Stamnes, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Associate Professor
  • Department: Internal Medicine, Molecular Physiology and Biophysics

Slyn Uaroon

    Affiliate Member,
  • Research Assistant
  • Department: Otolaryngology

Ellen Voigt

    Affiliate Member,
  • Graduate Student
  • Department: Neuroscience and Pharmacology

Lori Wallrath, PhD

    Affiliate Member,
  • Professor
  • Department: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology