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Working Groups

We want to support collaboration, whether it is with a project in mind or for generating new ones. If you have an idea for a working group and would like Rogel Cancer Center administrative support, please tell us about it here

Group Name and Purpose Leaders Contact E-mail
AYA Oncology Program

The program attends to the biomedical and psychosocial needs of AYAs (15-39 years old) across the cancer continuum, in both pediatric and medical oncology units. Our program has integrative clinical and research arms that aim to promote patient-centered and service-oriented research to improve cancer care for AYA patients and survivors.

 

 

Bradley Zebrack, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H.
Anao Zhang, Ph.D., M.S.W.

 

Anao Zhang, Ph.D., M.S.W.
[email protected]

 

Bladder Cancer

The University of Michigan Bladder Cancer Research Group is an institution-wide multidisciplinary group of clinicians, physician-scientists, and basic scientists that meets to discuss ongoing and future independent and collaborative bladder cancer research projects.

 

 

Mark Day, Ph.D.
Sofia Merajver, M.D., Ph.D.
Aaron Udager, M.D., Ph.D.

 

Brittany Smith
[email protected]

 

Blood PI Club

The Blood PI Club studies the molecular mechanisms regulating normal and malignant hematopoiesis, with the long term goal of developing new tools to diagnose and treat blood diseases.

 

 

Shannon Carty, M.D.
Qing Li, M.D., Ph.D.

 

Stephanie Edwards
[email protected]

 

Breast Cancer Mini Retreat

The Breast Cancer Mini-Retreat supports research collaborations and research project development.

 

Monika Burness, M.D.

 

Dawn Morario
[email protected]

 

Cancer and Aging Working Group

The goal is to stimulate interdisciplinary research and collaborations in cancer prevention and control in older populations.

 

Katrina Ellis, Ph.D., M.P.H., M.S.W.
Lindsay Kobayashi, Ph.D., M.Sc.
Lauren Wallner, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Ashly Westrick, Ph.D., M.P.H.

 

 

Katie Davis
[email protected]

 

Cancer and Microbes

This group aims to integrate the topics of cancer and microbes in hopes to initiate collaborative projects, support multi-PI grants, and program project grants.

 

 

Nobuhiko Kamada, Ph.D.
James Moon, Ph.D.
Yatrik Shah, Ph.D.

 

Erin Christensen
[email protected]

 

Cancer Epigenetics

This group aims to stimulate research in the area of cancer epigenetics: both basic and translational. View recordings of past meetings.

 

 

Joshi Alumkal, M.D.
Jolanta Grembecka, Ph.D.
Russell Ryan, M.D.

 

Erin Christensen
[email protected]

 

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) Working Group

The goal is to stimulate interdisciplinary research and foster collaborations to investigate all aspects of circulating tumor cells including the biology of their genesis, mechanisms of their interactions with host immune system and technology to detect them, with the ultimate aim to develop diagnostics and therapeutics for the control of metastasis.

 

 

Venkateshwar Keshamouni, Ph.D.
Sunitha Nagrath, Ph.D.
Nithya Ramnath, MBBS

 

Harrison Ball
[email protected]

 

Cutaneous Oncology Research Interest Group

The Cutaneous Oncology Research Interest Group is comprised of a multidisciplinary group of scientists and clinicians who meet with the ultimate goal to share on-going research at our institution across disciplines focused on skin cancer. Our meetings foster robust collaboration as well as all members gaining expert advice and support from peers. We also have presentations introducing new techniques and research approaches offered at our Cancer Center. We plan on inviting outside speakers who perform relevant research in cutaneous oncology to encourage networking and collaboration with other institutions.

 

 

Christina Angeles, M.D.
Scott Bresler, M.D., Ph.D.

 

Erin Christensen
[email protected]

DIPG Focus Group

The purpose of our group is to advance our understanding of pediatric brain tumors with a focus on Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine glioma. We invite both U of M investigators and investigators from across North America and Europe to present their work. The aim is to foster collaborations from both basic science and clinical perspectives.

 

 

Carl Koschmann, M.D.
Sriram Venneti, M.D.

 

Caryn Crane
[email protected]

 

Health Disparities Working Group

This group includes researchers and practitioners from the U of M community and is intended to give an opportunity to share current and future work and to encourage collaboration. Of particular interest is to provide support to junior faculty conducting disparity research. The focus is broadly on cancer, but faculty who have interests in other disease areas are also included.

 

 

Elena Stoffel, M.D., M.P.H.
Catricia Thomas, B.S.

  Catricia Thomas, B.S

[email protected]

 

Immunology Journal Club

The Immunology Program's Journal Club is a gathering of trainees and faculty where immunology trainees present scientific paper's to the group, leading in to a discussion of the publication.

 

 

Venkat Kashamouni, Ph.D.
Malini Raghaven, Ph.D.

 

Catrice Evans
[email protected]

 

Immuno-Oncology

COMING SOON

 

 

Ajjai Alva, M.D.
Angel Qin, M.D.
Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D.

 

Ajjai Alva, M.D.
[email protected]

Angel Qin, M.D.
[email protected]

Weiping Zou, M.D., Ph.D.
[email protected]

 

Kidney Working Group

The mission of the Kidney Working Group is to advance high impact, innovative therapeutics to improve clinical outcomes in kidney cancer and reduce the impact of the disease.

 

 

Simpa Salami, M.B.B.S.
Ulka Vaishampayan, M.B.B.S., F.A.B.

 

 

Neha Shah
[email protected]

Liquid Biopsy Working Group
The Liquid Biopsy Working Group welcomes scientists engaged or interested in any aspects of liquid biopsy research including cell free nucleic acids, proteins, circulating tumor cells and immune cells. The aims of the working group are to: (1) facilitate communication of research updates (2); foster scientific exchange, including the sharing and optimization of techniques; and (3) support interaction and collaborations with outside experts in liquid biopsy research.

 

 

Chad Brenner, Ph.D.
Simpa Salami, M.B.B.S.

 

 

Luke Brown
[email protected]

Pancreatic Disease Initiative

The Pancreatic Disease Initiative is a group of basic scientists and clinicians that meet weekly to share data and ideas to form collaborations and attack pancreatic cancer from a multi-disciplinary perspective.

 

 

Costas Lyssiotis, Ph.D.
Marina Pasca Di Magliano, Ph.D.

 

Costas Lyssiotis, Ph.D.
[email protected]

Pre-Clinical and Clinical Imaging

The Pre-clinical and Clinical Cancer Imaging Working Group meets on a monthly basis to share ideas on projects that focus on the development and/or use of advanced imaging in support of cancer research and/or care. The overall goal of the Imaging Working Group is to: exchange expertise across the Imaging spectrum; help form new collaborations; seek out support mechanisms that will further the optimal integration of imaging in cancer care; and potentially organize larger scale efforts such as creation of an imaging training program (or support for such a program in a specific department).

 

 

Jim Balter, Ph.D.
Gary Luker, M.D.
Peter Scott, Ph.D.

 

Luke Brown
[email protected]

 

Radiosensitization Working Group

The goal of the Radiosensitization Working Group is to increase the quantity and quality of successful radiobiology research projects, grants, papers, and collaborations. Specifically, in the upcoming year we will work toward several multi-investigator collaborative R01’s within the Radiosensitization Theme specifically focused on DIPG Tumor Immunology (Qiang Zhang, Carl Koschmann, Meredith Morgan); Metabolism and DNA repair (Weihua Zhou, Ted Lawrence, Meredith Morgan, Deepak Nagrath); and Esophageal Cancer and Statins (Dipankar Ray, Kiran Lagisetty, Ted Lawrence, Costas Lyssiotis). We will also use this as an opportunity to identify and develop new projects ideas relevant to the Dev Res and Career Enhancement Programs of our recently awarded Radiosensitization SPORE.

 

 

Theodore Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D.
Meredith Morgan, Ph.D.

 

Kurt Nelson
[email protected]

Sarcoma Research Interest Group

The purpose of the Sarcoma Research Working Group is to expand the Sarcoma Research Program at the University of Michigan, discuss and peer review ongoing research studies, and foster multidisciplinary translational science research.

 

 

Christina Angeles, M.D.
Rashmi Chugh, M.D.

 

Zach Pascoe
[email protected]

 

Tobacco Working Group

COMING SOON

 

 

Leader TBD

 

Katie Davis
[email protected]

Tumor & Immune Metabolism Working Group

The Tumor & Immune Metabolism working group consists of about 15 labs studying metabolism in cancer and immunity. We meet monthly during the academic calendar year, at which a trainee (or trainees) from one of the composite labs presents an hour seminar/research update. This is a forum that encourages discussion and collaboration. Additionally, we bring in an external speaker from the midwest once or twice per academic year.

 

Costas Lyssiotis, Ph.D.
Sriram Venneti, M.D., Ph.D.
Daniel Wahl, M.D., Ph.D.

 

Costas Lyssiotis, Ph.D.
[email protected]