Contact the Division of Cancer Biology

Address:

NCI Division of Cancer Biology (DCB)

9609 Medical Center Drive, MSC 9747/9748

Bethesda, MD 20892

Office of the Director

The Director’s Office oversees the activities of the branches as well as special initiatives and Programs funded by the Division. The Office also fosters emerging topics in basic cancer biology, such as cancer systems biology, physical sciences in oncology, and the tumor microenvironment, in order to facilitate the development of the field.

More information on research supported by the Office of the Director is available in the Research section.

Phone: (240) 276-6180
Fax: (240) 276-7861

Name & Position	Email	Areas of Expertise
Daniel Gallahan, Ph.D. Director	[email protected]	Cancer biology
Shannon Hughes, Ph.D. Deputy Director	[email protected]	Cancer metastasis and systems biology
Lisa Witzler, Ph.D. Chief of Staff	[email protected]	DCB processes and policies
Jason Bunting Information Technology (IT) Specialist	[email protected]	IT and technology platforms
Yvette Butler Program Specialist	[email protected]	DCB travel processes and policies
Tamika Carney Program Analyst	[email protected]	Point of contact for the Director of DCB
Janice Embry Program Analyst	[email protected]	DCB administrative processes and policies
Riante Jones Communications Specialist	[email protected]	Health communication
Soumya Korrapati, Ph.D. Scientific Policy Analyst	[email protected]	NIH Data Management and Sharing Policy
Claire McCarthy, Ph.D. Communications Manager	[email protected]	DCB communications
LaToya Myers Program Specialist	[email protected]	DCB event processes and policies
Michelle Turner Program Analyst	[email protected]	DCB portfolio and data analysis
Matthew Whitehead Office Automation Technician	[email protected]	Automation systems

Biophysics, Bioengineering, and Computational Sciences Branch (BBCSB)

BBCSB supports studies in three areas: technology development and molecular applications; biophysical biology; and computational/mathematical methods and bioinformatics development. The branch also supports integrated and systems biology approaches to cancer biology.

More information on research supported by this branch is available in the Research section.

Phone: (240) 276-6210
Fax: (240) 276-7863

Name & Position	Email	Areas of Expertise
Jennifer Couch, Ph.D. Chief	[email protected]	Artificial intelligence, technology development, citizen science, and structural biology
Anowarul Amin, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Biophysics, structure-function mechanisms, proteomics, and cellular imaging
Steven Becker, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Tissue engineering and 3D culture, regenerative medicine, cell characterization, and imaging technologies
Robin Brown Program Associate Director	[email protected]	BBCSB grant portfolio analysis and policies
Hannah Dueck, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Cancer systems biology, tumor heterogeneity, and single-cell biology
Eric Johnson Chavarria, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Cytoskeleton, protein structure, microfluidics and microfabrication, and single molecule techniques
Jerry Li, M.D., Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Informatics, deep learning, protein structure modeling, and synthetic biology
David Miller, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Mathematical methods and analysis, computational modeling, software development, and data science

Cancer Cell Biology Branch (CCBB)

CCBB supports and directs research that defines the biological basis for the differences between normal cells and cancer cells, with a major emphasis on studies that reveal processes and molecular targets where there is potential for therapeutic or preventive intervention.

More information on research supported by this branch is available in the Research section.

Phone: (240) 276-6230
Fax: (240) 276-7865

Name & Position	Email	Areas of Expertise
Rihab Yassin, Ph.D. Chief	[email protected]	Gastroesophageal cancers biology, tumor-initiating cells, stem cell biology, and plasticity
Cheryl Cero, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Cell cycle regulations, senescence, and R03 grants in cancer cell biology
Sharmistha Ghosh-Janjigian, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Early lesion biology, as well as oncogenes and their mechanisms
Ruibai Luo, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Post-translational modifications, circadian biology, and R15 and R50 grants in cancer cell biology
Stefan Maas, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	RNA biology and RNA regulation of cancer processes, tumor suppressors and associated mechanisms, and the regulation of translation
Konstantin Salnikow, Ph.D Program Director	[email protected]	Cell death, cell survival pathways, and cell stress in cancer
Kristine Willis, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Cancer cell metabolism and energetics, intersection of diet with cancer metabolism, mitochondria, and experimental models
Wanping Xu, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Cancer cachexia pathways and models, cancer signaling pathways, and cellular chaperones

Cancer Immunology, Hematology, and Etiology Branch (CIHEB)

CIHEB includes the Immunology and Hematology Section and the Cancer Etiology Section.

The Immunology and Hematology Section supports studies on the basic mechanisms of anti-tumor immune responses and hematologic malignancies.

The Cancer Etiology Section supports two broad categories of studies on possible etiological factors or co-factors in cancer: biological agents (primarily viruses and bacteria) and host predisposing states including obesity, diet, and aging.

More information on research supported by this branch is available in the Research section.

Phone: (240) 276-6200
Fax: (240) 276-7867

Name & Position	Email	Areas of Expertise
Kevin Howcroft, Ph.D. Chief	[email protected]	Cancer immunology, multiple myeloma, extracellular vesicles, and retrotransposons
Yvonne Duglas-Tabor Program Associate Director	[email protected]	R15 & R03 grants related to cancer immunology and cancer health disparities
Chamelli Jhappan, Ph.D Program Director	[email protected]	Oncogenic RNA viruses, hematopoietic malignancies, multidrug resistance in cancer, and the nervous system regulation of cancer
Margaret Klauzinska, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Hematopoiesis, myeloid malignancies, bone marrow niche, and epitranscriptomics
Lillian Kuo, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Immunology and virology, microscopy for cancer, vesicle biology, and molecular biology related to antitumor immunity
Yin Liu, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Immunity/autoimmunity, inflammation, lymphocyte migration, and T cell receptor signaling
Susan McCarthy, Ph.D. Volunteer	[email protected]	T cells, immunosuppression, immunotherapy, and immunotherapy-related adverse events
Elizabeth Read-Connole, Ph.D. Head - Cancer Etiology Section	[email protected]	Cancer etiology, oncogenic viruses, and biology related to HIV/AIDS and cancer
Monica Zamisch, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Cancer immunology, molecular biology, vaccine development, and systems biology
Zulekha Sayyed, M.S.H.S. Program Analyst	[email protected]	R13 & R50 grants related to cancer immunology, medical technology, and biotechnology

DNA and Chromosome Aberrations Branch (DCAB)

DCAB supports basic cancer research focused on making clear the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of tumorigenesis and mechanisms of chemical and physical carcinogenesis.

More information on research supported by this branch is available in the Research section.

Phone: (240) 276-6250
Fax: (240) 276-7865

Name & Position	Email	Areas of Expertise
Ian Fingerman, Ph.D. Chief	[email protected]	Cancer genomics, mechanisms of cancer susceptibility, genetic heterogeneity, and non-coding RNAs
Ron Johnson, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Chemical and tobacco carcinogenesis, replication stress, DNA damage signaling, and transcriptional regulation by ER and p53
Zhihui Liu, Ph.D Program Director	[email protected]	Tumor suppressors, oncogenes, and epigenetic and transcriptional dysregulation of cancers.
Paul Okano, Ph.D Program Director	[email protected]	Epigenetic modifications, chemical and UV mutagenesis, DNA repair, and DNA polymerases
Anu Sharman, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Genomic/epigenomic alterations related to cancer health disparities, genetic models for cancer disparities, and R03, R15, and R50 grants related to DNA and chromosome aberrations
Michael Weinreich, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	DNA replication, replication stress, cell cycle, and DNA damage checkpoints
Keren Witkin, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Genome instability and chromosomal rearrangements, double strand break repair pathways, telomere maintenance, and fusion oncoproteins

Office of Cancer Genomics (OCG)

OCG supports the development and application of genomic science to improve cancer diagnosis, treatments, and outcomes for patients by bringing data and resources to the research community, uncovering and investigating the somatic, acquired changes that drive cancer, and identifying targets and strategies for precision medicine.

Tumor Biology and Microenvironment Branch (TBMB)

TBMB supports basic tumor/early lesion-microenvironment research across the different stages of tumorigenesis. The focus is on the mechanistic underpinnings of bidirectional tumor and/or early lesion interactions with its microenvironment as co-organizers dictating tumor initiation and/or indolence, progression and response to therapy.

More information on research supported by this branch is available in the Research section.

Phone: (240) 276-6220
Fax: (240) 276-7866

Name & Position	Email	Areas of Expertise
Jeffrey Hildesheim, Ph.D. Chief	[email protected]	Tumor-stroma co-organizer biology, mechanisms of therapy resistance, senescense, and stress signaling in tumors
Tapan Bera, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Treatment resistance, tumor cell plasticity and polarity, and molecular signaling in the tumor microenvironment
Christina George Scientific Program Specialist	[email protected]	R03, R13, and R50 grants related to the tumor microenvironment
Mihoko Kai, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Tumor heterogeneity, stem cell biology, non-coding RNAs in the microenvironment, and hormone signaling
Natalia Mercer, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Tumor stroma, tumor and microenvironment metabolism, protein modifications, and glycobiology
Elizabeth Woodhouse, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Extracellular vesicles, extracellular matrix and cell adhesion, angiogenesis, and cancer cell migration

Tumor Metastasis Branch (TMB)

TMB plans, develops and directs the Division’s research program in tumor metastasis, focusing on mechanisms of metastasis and metastatic niches, circulating tumor cells, dormancy, and angiogenesis and vasculogenesis.

More information on research supported by this branch is available in the Research section.

Phone: (240) 276-6220
Fax: (240) 276-7866

Name & Position	Email	Areas of Expertise
Joanna Watson, Ph.D. Chief	[email protected]	Circadian rhythms, cancer cachexia, circulating tumor cell biology, and mechanisms of metastasis
Grace Ault, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Cell invasion and migration, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, metabolic adaptation to the microenvironment, and growth factor signaling
Justin Benavidez, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Biological sciences, developmental biology, and cancer metastasis
Brunilde Gril, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Brain metastases, blood-brain/tumor barrier, experimental therapies for metastasis, and receptor tyrosine kinase signaling
Christine Nadeau, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Mammalian models of cancer, Notch signaling, breast cancer, and systemic immunity
Elizabeth Snyderwine, Ph.D. Program Director	[email protected]	Xenobiotic and cellular metabolism, metastasis, aging biology, and the bone microenvironment

Administrative Resource Center (ARC)

The ARC of DCB and the NCI Division of Extramural Activities (DEA) is responsible for facilitating administrative processes involved in conducting the research activities and functions of DCB research areas.

Name & Position	Email	Areas of Expertise
Bridgette Tobiassen Division ARC Manager	[email protected]	NCI administrative and management policies and processes
Eric Graves Division ARC Deputy Director	[email protected]	DCB and DEA administrative and management policies and processes
Kelly Dyott Administrative Officer	[email protected]	NCI travel policies and procurement processes
Kevin Greene Administrative Officer	[email protected]	NCI financial policies/grants and DCB budget processes
Linda Stephens Administrative Officer	[email protected]	NCI Human Resources policies and processes
Paige Walker Administrative Technician	[email protected]	DCB administrative and travel policies

Additional DCB/DEA ARC staff include the following DEA Administrative Officers: Rhudel Stevens (Lead Administrative Officer), Jamie Brewer, Katelyn Beahm, and Paul Fatula.