2024 Rogel Cancer Center 

Women in Cancer 

Research Symposium

Thursday, March 7, 8 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

BSRB (Seminar Rooms A, B & C)

109 Zina Pitcher Place

In celebration of International Women's Day, this year's Rogel Cancer Center Symposium will focus on women and women advocates in the cancer sciences. The event is open to all, including trainees.

See you there!

--> Seating is limited: register today!

Agenda

8 – 8:30 a.m. Continental breakfast and networking

8:30 – 8:40 a.m. Introductory remarks 

• Sarah Hawley, Ph.D., M.P.H.
• Bhramar Mukherjee, Ph.D.
• Eric Fearon, M.D, Ph.D.

 8:40 – 9:10 a.m. Keynote

“Regulation and Function of the Pancreatic Cancer Microenvironment”

• Marina Pasca di Magliano, Ph.D., Maud T Lane Professor of Surgical Immunology; professor, surgery and cell and developmental biology

9:15 – 10:15 a.m. Lightning Talk Session #1

"Hypoxic Regulation of Tumor-stroma Crosstalk in Pancreatic Cancer”

• Kyoung Eun Lee, Ph.D., assistant professor, pharmacology

“New Mechanisms of EZH2 in Breast Cancer Metastasis” 

• Celina G. Kleer, M.D., Harold A Oberman Collegiate Professor of Pathology; medical director, Breast Pathology; program director, Clinical Research

“Mouse Modeling of Merkel Cell Carcinoma" 

• Monique Verhaegen, Ph.D., research associate professor, dermatology

“Proteostatic Regulation of T Cell Fate”

• Shannon Carty, M.D., assistant professor, internal medicine; associate director Academic Program, Immunology Graduate Program

“Entering the Era of Molecular Neurosurgery: Turning Viruses into Brain Cancer Therapeutics.”

• Maria Castro, Ph.D., RC Schnieder Collegiate Professor of Neurosurgery; professor, cell and developmental biology; co-director, Brain Tumor Research and Translational Neuro-Oncology Laboratories

“From Patients to Progress: Unraveling Innovative Therapies through Ovarian Tumor Analysis and Genetic Insights”

• Analisa DiFeo, Ph.D., associate professor, pathology; associate professor, obstetrics & gynecology

Presentation: TBD

• Nisha J. D’Silva, B.D.S., M.S.D., Ph.D., Donald A Kerr Endowed Collegiate Professor of Oral Pathology; professor, dentistry; professor, pathology

10:15 – 10:30 a.m. Break

10:35-11:05 a.m. Keynote

“Patient-Centric Cancer Research”



• Megan R. Haymart, M.D., Nancy Wigginton Endocrinology Research Professor of Thyroid Cancer; professor, internal medicine

11:10 a.m. – 12:10 p.m. Lightning Talk Session #2

“Overview of Garmire Group in Biomedical Informatics- from Women’s Health to Cancer Research” 

• Lana Garmire, Ph.D., associate professor, computational medicine & bioinformatics; associate professor, biostatistics

“Combining DNA Damage Response Therapeutics with Radiotherapy in PDAC and DIPG”

• Meredith Morgan, Ph.D., Theodore S Lawrence MD, PhD and Patricia Krause Research Professor of Radiation Oncology; associate chair, Department of Radiation and Cancer Biology, Department of Radiation Oncology; professor, radiation oncology

“Leveraging the Cancer Genome to Personalize Therapy, Risk Assessment and Disease Monitoring”

• Erin Cobain, M.D., assistant professor, internal medicine

“Multidisciplinary Precision Oncology”

• Sofia D. Merajver, M.D., Ph.D., GreaterGood Breast Cancer Research Professor; professor, internal medicine; professor, epidemiology

“Advancing Imaging Biomarkers in Head and Neck Cancer thru Clinical Trials”

• Michelle Mierzwa, M.D., associate chair of Clinical Research; associate professor of radiation oncology

“Improving Value by Doing Less”                                                                       

• Lesly A. Dossett, M.D., M.P.H., Maud T Lane Research Professor of Cancer Quality Improvement; associate chair, Department of Surgery; associate professor, Department of Surgery

“MI-CARES: The Michigan Cancer and Research on the Environment Study”

• Alison Mondul, Ph.D., M.S.P.H., associate professor, epidemiology

12:10 – 1:30 p.m. Lunch and networking