Tumor Cell Biology - Carcinogenesis T32 Training Grant
Program highlights include intensive research in progress meetings with program faculty, focused “nanocourses” in emerging cancer research fields, cross-disciplinary translational career and communication skills development and additional funding for travel to scientific meetings and laboratory supplies.
Competitive candidates for the program include students with an interdisciplinary interest in cancer biology who have matriculated into the Driskill Graduate Program (DGP), the Interdepartmental Biological Sciences Program (IBiS), the Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), or other PhD programs. Students are eligible to apply following selection of a participating thesis advisor and cancer research thesis topic. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and must first apply to DGP, IBiS or other appropriate graduate programs at Northwestern.
A request for nominations to fill available training positions is posted and sent to program preceptors each year in the spring, for appointments beginning in fall of the following year (eg, applications submitted in 2021 are considered for appointment in the fall of 2022, contingent upon successful completion of the preliminary exam).
Applications must include a letter of nomination from your thesis advisor, a Biosketch or CV, no more than one page describing your research project, and a statement of the cancer research purpose, including your future career goals and suitability for the program. Applications are reviewed by the program steering committee and candidates are invited to interview in late summer/early fall. The program welcomes and encourages application by individuals from underrepresented groups and diverse backgrounds.
For additional information, contact Kathleen Green, PhD.
Program Directors
Kathleen Green, PhD
Program Director
Professor, Department of Pathology
Function and regulation of intercellular junctions in tumor progression
Jindan Yu, MD, PhD
Program Co-Director
Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology) and Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Molecular regulation of prostate cancer
Gina Kirsammer, PhD
Administrative Director
Research Assistant Professor of Medicine (Hematology and Oncology)
Jodi L. Johnson, PhD
Basic Research Program Coordinator
Research Assistant Professor of Pathology and Dermatology
Program Preceptors
Xiaomin Bao, PhD
Assistant Professor of Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and Dermatology
Molecular determinants of stemness
Paul Burridge, PhD
Assistant Professor in Pharmacology
induced pluripotent stem cells to study cancer progression and drug resistance
Navdeep Chandel, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine
Mitochondria signaling and cancer
Jaehyuk Choi, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Molecular biology of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
Elizabeth Eklund, MD
Professor, Department of Medicine
Molecular mechanisms of hematopoiesis
Daniel Foltz, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Chromosome instability and cancer
Cara Gottardi, PhD
Associate Professor, Medicine, Pulmonary Division
Regulation of catenin-dependent signaling and adhesion
Sui Huang, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Cell and Molecular Biology
Perinucleolar compartment and cancer
Hiroaki Kiyokawa, PhD
Professor, Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry
Cell cycle regulation in differentiation and tumor progression
Carol LaBonne, PhD
Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology
Mechanisms of Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition
Laimonis Laimins, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Microbiology-Immunology
Human papillomaviruses and cancer
Monica Laronda, PhD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (Endocrinology)
Reproductive Biology, Endocrinology
Huiping Liu, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine
Molecular mechanisms of metastasis
Richard Longnecker, PhD
Professor, Department of Microbiology-Immunology
Epstein-Barr virus and hematopoietic cancers
Richard Morimoto, PhD
Professor, Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology
Protein misfolding and cancer
Marcus Peter, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine
Micro RNAs in cancer progression
Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine
Cytokines and signal transduction pathways
Karla Satchell, PhD
Professor of Microbiology-Immunology
Secreted factors and immune regulation
Ali Shilatifard, PhD
Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Epigenetics of hematologic malignancies
Alexander Stegh, PhD
Associate Professor of Neurology (Neuro-oncology) and Medicine
Pathogenesis of glioblastoma
C. Shad Thaxton, MD PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Urology
Nanotechnology for cancer therapy
Derek Wainwright, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
Immunotherapy for brain tumors
Gayle Woloschak, PhD
Professor, Department of Radiology
Nanocomposites; radiation sensitivity
Current Students
Lourdes Brea
Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences
Laboratory of Jindan Yu, MD, PhD
Corey Dussold
Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences
Laboratory of Alex Stegh, PhD
Jaime Guillen
Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences
Laboratory of Leon Platanias, MD, PhD
Jenny Pokorny
Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences
Laboratory of Craig Horbinski, MD, PhD
Zachary Reinstein
Medical Scientist Training Program
Laboratory of Jaehyuk Choi, MD, PhD
David Scholten
Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences
Laboratory of Huiping Liu, MD, PhD
Anthony Smith
Driskill Graduate Program in Life Sciences
Laboratory of Gayle Woloschak, PhD
Elizabeth Tsui
Medical Scientist Training Program
Laboratory of Monica Laronda, PhD