Massimo Cristofanilli, MD, has been appointed Associate Director for Precision Medicine and Translational Research at Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University and Director of Northwestern Onco-Sequence, Evaluate, Treat (SET). Cristofanilli joined Northwestern Medicine in September as Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
"We have the unprecedented opportunity to design a patient-centered, biology-driven model of cancer care combining sophisticated tissue- and blood-based molecular diagnostic technologies and innovative treatments," he said. "We plan to continue the establishment of strategic partnerships and involve our patients in an educational and informative journey to advance their understanding of their disease and treatments."
W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD, is now Director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Division of Hematology and Oncology, and the Cornelius Abernathy Craig Professor of Medicine. She was most recently Alexander Professor for Translational Science and Associate Director for Training and Education at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.
"Dr. Rathmell will bring with her a vibrant research program studying the molecular pathogenesis of renal cell carcinoma, as well as a passion for mentoring and developing the careers of faculty," said Nancy Brown, MD, the Hugh Jackson Morgan Professor of Medicine and Pharmacology and Chair of the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt. Brown has served as Interim Director of the Division following the departure of William Pao, MD, PhD, who is now Global Head of the Oncology Disease and Translational Area for Roche Pharma Research and Early Development.
At UNC, Rathmell was also previously Director for Translational Science for the Medical Scientist Training Program and led the faculty mentoring activities of the Hematology and Oncology Division and the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Also joining Vanderbilt is Jeffrey Rathmell, PhD, who will be Professor of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, will serve as Co-leader of the new Host Tumor Interactions Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and will lead a new Center for Immunobiology, which is a structure supported by the Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, the Department of Medicine; and the Cancer Center.
Rathmell previously served at Duke University Medical Center as Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and of Immunology in the Duke Molecular Physiology Institute, as well as Director of Graduate Studies of Pharmacology.
"He is internationally recognized for his research in the area of immunometabolism, he is an excellent mentor and colleague, and he has outstanding leadership experience in the area of graduate education," Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology, Director of the Division of Host-Pathogen Interactions and Associate Director of the Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology, said in a news release.
Rathmell's work has focused on the metabolism of blood cells. His work at Vanderbilt will focus on the field of immunometabolism and how nutrient and metabolic pathways can influence immune responses in normal and diseased settings.
A UNC publication from several years ago noted that the Rathmells, now married, met each other in a freshman biology study group while undergraduates at the University of Northern Iowa.
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has awarded seven grants through its academic research program, totaling $23,000,000, to support the recruitment of seven cancer scientists to academic institutions in Texas. After undergoing CPRIT's research review process, the seven grants were recommended by the Scientific Review Council and ratified by the Oversight Committee.
The awarded grants include the recruitment of five first-time, tenure-track faculty members:
* Charles Lin, PhD, who will join Baylor College of Medicine;
* Leng Han, PhD, who will join the University of Texas Health Science Center;
* Jan Erzberger, PhD, who will join the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center;
* Kendra Frederick, PhD, also joining the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; and
* Peter Douglas, PhD, also joining the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.
And the awards also include the recruitment of two established investigators:
* Frank McKeon, MD, PhD, who will join the University of Houston from the Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS); and
* Yang-Xin Fu, MD, PhD, who will join the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center from the University of Chicago.
Mildred "Millie" A. Toth, MS, RN, AOCN, Senior Nursing Instructor of Radiation/Oncology at the Cancer Prevention, Psychiatry, and Integrative Medicine Centers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, has been awarded http://Nurse.com's 2015 Texas Giving Excellence Meaning Award in the Education and Mentorship category.
Toth has been a nurse for 47 years and has been at MD Anderson in her current role for 14 years. She is also on the steering committee for the Great Houston Area Nursing Oncology Education Program, and has previously served as a member of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and the American Association of Cancer Education. She has also served as President and is currently a Committee Chair on the Board of the Houston Chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society.
She is also currently part of the National Cancer Institute Nurse Executive Cancer Center Collaborative, which is working to develop a two-day instructor-led program, "Essentials of Chemotherapy for the Oncology Nurse." She has previously been recognized with the American Cancer Society Greater Houston Area Nurses Committee Oncology Nurse of the Year Award and the Texas Nurse Association District 9 Twenty Outstanding Nurses Award.
Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, PhD, Chair of the Department of Radiology at Stanford University School of Medicine, has been named President-elect of the World Molecular Imaging Society for 2017. Gambhir will serve on the Board of Directors (which he joined in September at the 2015 World Molecular Imaging Congress) until his term begins in September 2016.
"Dr. Gambhir has made some of the most significant contributions to the field of molecular imaging, and he has been an integral part of the WMIS community for many years, previously serving as President (2005-2006) and a Board Member. As President-elect, Sam will guide the society with vision and passion, and impact industry through identifying the best pathways to stimulate growth and drive the molecular imaging field toward translation," current WMIS President Christopher Contag, PhD, Professor at Stanford University, said in a news release.
Gambhir's work focuses on the multimodality molecular imaging of living subjects, with a particular emphasis on cancer imaging. Most recently, he described strategies for early lung cancer detection that combine blood testing with multimodality molecular imaging. His lab has developed novel molecular imaging assays to evaluate cell trafficking, assess gene expression, measure enzyme activity, and image protein-protein interactions. He has also trained over 150 scientists in his lab who are now performing molecular imaging throughout the world.
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