Skip to content

Faculty Profiles

Cancer Biology

Miller School of Medicine Faculty

Julio C. Barredo, M.D.

Julio C. Barredo, M.D.

Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, and Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Pediatric Hematology & Oncology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Julio Barredo is a Professor of Pediatrics, Toppel Family Endowed Professor in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, and Director of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology and Children's Cancer Programs at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. With over 30 years of medical experience, Dr. Barredo has dedicated his efforts and expertise toward cancer care...
View Full Profile >
Defne Bayik Watson

Defne Bayik, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Defne Bayik is a cancer immunologist focused on uncovering host regulatory pathways as targets for brain tumor immunotherapy. She completed her undergraduate degree in the Bilkent University Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics and received her Ph.D. in 2016 through the National Institutes of Health-Bilkent University Graduate Partnership Program. Her dissertation...
View Full Profile >
Karoline J. Briegel, Ph.D.

Karoline J. Briegel, Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor, Surgical Oncology
Publications
Biography: 1995 Ph.D. in Molecular Genetics, University Vienna and Institute of Molecular Pathology (IMP), Vienna, Austria
1995-2000 Postdoctoral Studies in Developmental Genetics, Skirball Institute, New York University Medical Center
2001-2002 Instructor, Institute for Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Texas at Austin
2004 - 2012 Assistant...
View Full Profile >
Kerry Burnstein

Kerry Burnstein, Ph.D.

Professor and Chair, Department of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology

Biography: Kerry L. Burnstein, Ph.D., received her B.A. in biology (1981) from Wesleyan University, Middletown Connecticut and a Ph.D. in genetics (1986) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She pursued post-doctoral training with Dr. John Cidlowski at UNC-CH studying the regulation of steroid hormone receptors. In 1991, Dr. Burnstein joined the faculty at the University...
View Full Profile >

Rumela Chakrabarti, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Surgery
Publications
Biography: Dr. Rumela Chakrabarti joined the Department of Surgery in the Miller School of Medicine in January 2022 as an associate professor. She is a full member of the Tumor biology program in Sylvester Cancer Center and is also a co-director of Surgical Breast cancer research group. Before this position, she was an Assistant Professor in University of Pennsylvania for 6 years...
View Full Profile >
Zhibin Chen, M.D.

Zhibin Chen, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Chen is an immunologist. He studies the mechanisms of autoimmune diseases, infection and cancer, to understand the diseases and discover new interventions. His lab focuses on mucosal immunology and cancer immunology. Dr. Chen received his clinical medicine training in Luzhou Medical College (now Southwest Medical University) in China. He obtained his PhD training in...
View Full Profile >
Luisa Cimmino, Ph.D.

Luisa Cimmino, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Luisa Cimmino is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. She received a Bachelor of Science (with Honours) from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a PhD from Columbia University in New York City, followed by post-doctoral training at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute...
View Full Profile >
Firdaus S. Dhabhar, Ph.D.

Firdaus S. Dhabhar, Ph.D.

Tenured Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Dhabhar is a tenured professor at the University of Miami. He is the Director of the Laboratory of Stress and Resilience in Health and Healing, and a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry, the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, and the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Professor Dhabhar’s interests extend...
View Full Profile >
Shanta Dhar, Ph.D.

Shanta Dhar, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Biography: Our research is at the interface of chemistry and biology with particular emphasis on nanocarrier mediated intracellular delivery of payloads for potential applications in various diseases. Our research is directed to develop organelle targeted nanoparticles and to study nanoparticle assisted targeted delivery for possible applications in cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative...
View Full Profile >
Maria Figueroa, M.D.

Maria E. Figueroa, M.D.

Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Figueroa received her MD from Universidad del Salvador, School of Medicine in Buenos Aires, and a Degree in Hematology from University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. She completed her postdoctoral training in the field of epigenetics of myeloid malignancies at Weill Cornell Medicine under the mentorship of Dr. Ari Melnick. Dr. Figueroa’s research seeks to understand the...
View Full Profile >
Wael El-Rifai, M.D., Ph.D.

Wael El-Rifai, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Surgical Oncology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Wael El-Rifai is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, as well as the Associate Director of Basic Science and Co-Leader of the Tumor Biology Program. Dr. El-Rifai holds the John and Judy Schulte Senior Endowed Chair in Cancer Research. Dr. El-Rifai has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed articles...
View Full Profile >
Sophia George, Ph.D.

Sophia George, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Gynecological Oncology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Sophia George, PhD is an Associate Professor appointment in the Division of Gynecological Oncology within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine and a full member of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is a Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Academy Awardee. Dr. George is a native of the Caribbean and is...
View Full Profile >
Eli Gilboa, Ph.D.

Eli Gilboa, Ph.D.

Dodson Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Gilboa, the Joe Enloe Dodson professor in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology, School of Medicine, University of Miami, USA, is known for his pioneering work in gene therapy, HIV/AIDS, and cancer immunotherapy. His group has introduced novel concepts that helped shape these fields; the use of “self-inactivating” retroviral vectors that became a common feature...
View Full Profile >
No Image

Jennifer J. Hu, Ph.D.

Professor of Epidemiology
Publications
Biography: As a trans-disciplinary cancer researcher, Dr. Hu has training in basic sciences and cancer epidemiology. Her research mainly focuses on the molecular and genetic mechanisms of breast cancer etiology and survival disparities as well as implication of DNA repair in precision medicine.
View Full Profile >
No Image

Daniel Isom, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Isom was born and raised in the Cleveland area. He is a first generation college graduate and academic. After spending two years at the Cleveland Institute of Art, he earned degrees in Biochemistry and Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University. He then went on to earn a PhD in Molecular Biophysics from Johns Hopkins University followed by postdocs at both Duke...
View Full Profile >
Michael Ivan

Michael Edward Ivan, M.D., M.B.S., FAANS

Associate Professor of Clinical Neurological Surgery
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Michael E. Ivan is a neurosurgeon and scientist at the University of Miami Miller School Of Medicine who specializes in complex brain tumor, skull base tumor, and epilepsy surgery. He acts as the Neuro-oncology Site Disease Group Leader, Director of Research for the University of Miami Brain Tumor Initiative within Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is the...
View Full Profile >
Erin Kobetz, Ph.D.

Erin Kobetz, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Chief Health Equity Officer/Vice President for Health Equity, Medical Oncology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Erin Kobetz serves in multiple roles at the University of Miami. As the first Chief Health Equity Officer and Vice President for Health Equity, she is responsible for developing novel strategies to reduce persistent health disparities and increase access to quality healthcare for South Florida. As the Associate Director for Community Outreach and Engagement at the...
View Full Profile >
Kiran Kurmi, Ph.D.

Kiran Kurmi, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Kiran Kurmi is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular & Cellular Pharmacology at the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine. He earned his Ph.D. from the Mayo Clinic in 2018 and completed his postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School in 2024. His research primarily focuses on cancer metabolism, with a particular emphasis on...
View Full Profile >
Stefan Kurtenbach, Ph.D.

Stefan Kurtenbach, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Kurtenbach has studied Biochemistry at the Ruhr-University in Bochum, Germany, where he also graduated in Biology as part of the International Max Plank Research Program. Following a post-doctoral period at York University in Toronto, Canada, he completed his postdoc at the Harbour Ocular Cancer Laboratory withing the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (SCCC) at...
View Full Profile >
Ralf Landgraf, Ph.D.

Ralf Landgraf, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Landgraf earned his master's in Biochemistry in 1990 at the University of Tuebingen, Germany with additional research time in Enzymology at Queen Mary College, London. He received his PhD in Physiological Chemistry in 1995 at UCLA working on molecular recognition in Protein-DNA interactions, and he did a postdoc in structural studies and computational protein work...
View Full Profile >
Ola Landgren

C. Ola Landgren, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Medicine, Myeloma
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: I am Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Myeloma Division, and Co-Leader of the Translational and Clinical Oncology (TCO) Program at NCI-designated Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (Sylvester). In my Co-Leader role, I work closely with Dr. Jaime Merchan to oversee the clinical and research operations for TCO as well as the development of the research program. Dr....
View Full Profile >
Stephen Lee, Ph.D.

Stephen Lee, Ph.D.

Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Publications
Biography: The laboratory studies mechanisms involved in the cellular adaptation to the adverse environmental conditions commonly found within the tumor microenvironment (hypoxia and extracellular acidosis). These extracellular stimuli alter fundamental cellular pathways by 1) activating an alternate translation apparatus that synthesizes proteins only in the absence of oxygen and...
View Full Profile >
Robert Levy, Ph.D.

Robert Levy, Ph.D.

Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Robert B. Levy is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and member of the Tumor Biology section of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. He obtained his MS/PhD at the Ohio State University and completed his post-doctoral training at the Immunology Branch at the NCI, NIH with Dr. Gene Shearer investigating MHC-restricted T cell antigen recognition...
View Full Profile >
Zhao-Jun Liu, Ph.D.

Zhao-Jun Liu, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Surgery, Vascular & Endovascular Surgery
Publications
Biography: Dr. Liu is Professor and Director of Vascular Research Laboratory at Department of Surgery, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is also the Associate Director of Vascular Biology Institute. He obtained his PhD. from Osaka University, Japan. His research interests span both vascular biology and cancer biology. His interest in the field of vascular biology...
View Full Profile >
David Benner Lombard, M.D., Ph.D.

David Benner Lombard, M.D., Ph.D.

Clinical Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Lombard received his MD from Harvard Medical School, and his PhD at MIT, where he studied Werner syndrome and related progerias. After Pathology residency at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Dr. Lombard pursued postdoctoral work in the area of sirtuin biology, supported by an NIA/NIH K08 award. Dr. Lombard was the first to describe a central role for the...
View Full Profile >
Izidore Lossos

Izidore Lossos, M.D.

Professor of Medicine , Hematology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Izidore S. Lossos is a Professor of Medicine and the Director of Lymphoma Program at Sylvester. He holds a Sylvester endowed chair at the cancer center. He received his medical degree from Hadassah School of Medicine, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel. He completed his residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Hematology at Hadassah University Hospital...
View Full Profile >
Francesco Maura, M.D.

Francesco Maura, M.D.

Assistant Professor, Myeloma
Publications
Biography: I am an Assistant Professor, co-PI of the Myeloma Computational and Translational Laboratory, and Associate Director of the Myeloma Research Institute at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center – University of Miami. Between 2015 and 2018 as a postdoctoral fellow at the Cancer, Ageing and Somatic Mutation Programme at Wellcome Sanger Institute, directed by Peter J. Campbell,...
View Full Profile >

Oliver Gene McDonald, M.D., Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Publications
Biography: Oliver McDonald is as a physician-scientist in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. He completed his MD and PhD degrees at the University of Virginia in 2007, Anatomic Pathology residency at Johns Hopkins in 2011, and a Gastrointestinal Pathology fellowship at Johns Hopkins in 2013. He was an Assistant Professor at Vanderbilt University from 2013-2020,...
View Full Profile >
Zhipeng Meng, Ph.D.

Zhipeng Meng, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Zhipeng Meng is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and an affiliated member of the Tumor Biology Program at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. With a focus on understanding the molecular mechanisms controlling tissue regeneration, fibrosis, and carcinogenesis,...
View Full Profile >
Jaime Rafael Merchan, M.D.

Jaime Rafael Merchan, M.D.

Professor, Medical Oncology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Merchan is a tenured Professor of Medicine in the division of Medical Oncology. He is the Co-leader of the Translational and Clinical Oncology Research Program, the Director of the Phase 1 Clinical Trials Program, and the Associate Director of the NIH funded Calabresi Clinical Oncology Research Career Development Award. As a physician scientist, his contributions to...
View Full Profile >
Lluis Morey

Lluis Morey, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Human Genetics
Publications
Biography: Dr. Morey is a tenured associate professor at the Human Genetics Department at University of Miami (UM) and member of the Cancer Epigenetics Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. He received his degree in Biology from Universidad de Barcelona in 2003. He completed his PhD studies in the laboratory of Dr. Luciano Di Croce, where he studied the role of the chromatin-remodeling...
View Full Profile >
Nagaraj Nagathihalli, Ph.D.

Nagaraj Nagathihalli, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Surgical Oncology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Nagaraj Nagathihalli, Ph.D., is a cancer biologist at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, an Associate Professor (Tenure Track) in the Department of Surgery, and a graduate faculty in the Cancer Biology Program at the University of Miami School of Medicine. Dr. Nagathihalli obtained his postgraduate training in biochemistry from the University Of Mysore, India,...
View Full Profile >
Stephen D. Nimer, M.D.

Stephen D. Nimer, M.D.

Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Hematology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Stephen D. Nimer, M.D., is the director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also the executive dean for research and a professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Dr. Nimer's career spans more than 30 years in clinical care, research, administration...
View Full Profile >
Daniel Pelaez

Daniel Pelaez, Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Pelaez is a scientist and biomedical engineer and an expert in stem cell and molecular biology, tissue engineering, biochemistry, and regenerative medicine. Originally from Colombia and as the son of two head and neck cancer surgeons, Dr. Pelaez experienced first-hand the frustrations that arise when suboptimal and non-curative treatments are the only available options...
View Full Profile >
Alan Pollack

Alan Pollack, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Radiation Oncology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Pollack is Professor and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He obtained a Ph.D. in Microbiology and Immunology from the University of Miami and later graduated from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine’s Ph.D. to M.D. program. He did an internal...
View Full Profile >
Priyamvada Rai, Ph.D.

Priyamvada Rai, Ph.D.

Professor of Radiation Oncology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Rai received her Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the California Institute of Technology. She did her PhD research at University of California, Berkeley in the field of biophysics with Dr. Stuart Linn and Dr. David Wemmer as her co-advisors. She was a Leukemia and Lymphoma Society postdoctoral fellow in the lab of Robert Weinberg at the Whitehead Institute...
View Full Profile >
Sundaram Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.

Sundaram Ramakrishnan, Ph.D.

Professor, Oncology Molecular Therapeutics (OMT)
Publications
Biography: Dr. Ramakrishnan (Ramki) received his Ph.D. from the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. He received his post-doctoral training in Immunotoxins at the University of Kansas and subsequently moved to Cetus, a biotechnology company in the Bay area of California. He then joined the faculty of the Duke University Medical Center. After three years, moved...
View Full Profile >
Joseph Rosenblatt

Joseph D. Rosenblatt, M.D.

Professor of Medicine, Microbiology & Immunology, Hematology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Joseph Rosenblatt, M.D., Professor of Medicine Division of Hematology and SCCC Associate Director for Faculty Development, is a physician scientist with a long track record of clinically relevant translational research and experience in mentoring young researchers. Dr. Rosenblatt has been the institutional PI on the ACS IRG since 2006. Dr. Rosenblatt...
View Full Profile >
Sabita Roy, Ph.D.

Sabita Roy, Ph.D.

Professor of Surgery, Oncology Molecular Therapeutics (OMT)
Publications
Biography: Sabita Roy is a Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Surgery, at the University of Miami. She received her Ph.D. degree from the University of Kansas and pursued postdoctoral training in Pharmacology at the University of California, San Francisco. After completion of her post-doctoral training, she was recruited as an Assistant Professor and rose...
View Full Profile >
Jonathan

Jonathan Harry Schatz, M.D.

Professor of Medicine , Hematology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Jonathan H. Schatz, MD, began professional life as a journalist after graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Madison but soon pursued a new passion for science and medicine. After premedical studies at Brandeis University, he enrolled at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, where he found time to work in the lab of Dr. Harinder Singh on genes...
View Full Profile >
Stephan C. Schurer, Ph.D.

Stephan C. Schürer, Ph.D.

Professor of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Schürer studied chemistry at Humboldt University of Berlin and University of California Berkeley. Following his PhD from the Technical University Berlin, he built and directed the international operations to the develop life science information technology and scientific content products at Libraria and Eidogen-Sertanty Inc, two technology startups in San Jose...
View Full Profile >
Ramin Shiekhattar

Ramin Shiekhattar, Ph.D.

Professor
Publications
Biography: Dr. Shiekhattar serves as the Cancer Epigenetics Program Co-Leader at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. His own laboratory has been interested in understanding the mechanisms by which protein-coding genes are regulated and how disruption of such regulatory mechanisms may lead to neoplasia. Recent evidence has implicated changes in chromatin structure as an essential...
View Full Profile >
Erietta Stelekati, Ph.D.

Erietta Stelekati, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Publications
Biography: I joined the department of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Miami as an Assistant Professor in January 2020. My interest in Immunology started early during my undergraduate studies in Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. I joined the Department of Immunopharmacology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, as an exchange student and completed a 9-month...
View Full Profile >
Noula Dattu Shembade, Ph.D.

Noula Dattu Shembade, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Noula Shembade is a basic and translational virologist, associate professor tenured at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami (UM). His research focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of pathogenic infection-induced uncontrolled inflammation, which leads to autoimmune diseases...
View Full Profile >
Emmanuel Thomas

Emmanuel Thomas M.D., Ph.D., FAASLD

Associate Professor
Publications
Biography: Having been raised in Miami-Dade county, in the underserved community of West Perrine, I have a strong commitment to improving the health of our local community. I am a Fellow of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (FAASLD). I am the Board Chair for the National Advisory Board of the American Liver Foundation and was on the editorial board of Hepatology....
View Full Profile >
Justin Taylor, M.D.

Justin Taylor, M.D.

Associate Professor, Hematology
Publications
Biography: Justin Taylor, MD, is a physician-scientist devoted to improving outcomes for patients with hematologic malignancies. The Taylor lab studies the role of recurrent mutations in hematologic malignancies and how to target them with novel therapeutics using animal modeling, molecular biology, and single-cell genomic techniques. Dr. Taylor holds a faculty position in the Department...
View Full Profile >
Jonathan C Trent, M.D., Ph.D.

Jonathan C Trent, M.D., Ph.D.,

Professor, Medical Oncology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Jonathan C. Trent, MD, PhD, is professor of medicine, associate director for clinical research, and director of the Bone and Soft-tissue Sarcoma Group at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Miami Health System, Miami, FL. He earned his undergraduate degree in chemistry at Southeastern Oklahoma State University and his MD and PhD in cancer biology from...
View Full Profile >
Luis M. Tuesta, Ph.D.

Luis M. Tuesta, Ph.D.

Research Assistant Professor
Publications
Biography: By way of my training, my career started at the University of Miami Miller School of medicine (2006-2008) where I worked on leveraging the neuroregenerative properties of Schwann cells to achieve functional recovery following spinal cord injury. Then, at The Scripps Research Institute (2008-2013), I worked on mechanisms of addiction and pharmacology and identified the...
View Full Profile >
Ramiro Verdun

Ramiro Verdun, Ph.D.

Associate Professor of Medicine , Hematology
Publications
Biography: His scientific career began in Argentina, where he worked on a gene discovery project for Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite responsible for Chagas disease, affecting over 15 million people worldwide. After completing his Ph.D. degree, he moved to San Diego, California, in 2003 to pursue post-doctoral training in the Jan Karlseder’s laboratory at the Salk Institute. During...
View Full Profile >
Claes Wahlestedt, M.D., Ph.D.

Claes Wahlestedt, M.D., Ph.D.

Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Publications
Biography: Claes Wahlestedt is Leonard M. Miller Professor and Director of the Center for Therapeutic Innovation at the University of Miami where he also serves as Associate Dean for Therapeutic Innovation. A native of Sweden, Dr. Wahlestedt obtained his MD and PhD degrees from Lund University. Prior to joining the University of Miami, Dr. Wahlestedt was a founding Professor and...
View Full Profile >
Dionysios C. Watson, M.D., Ph.D.

Dionysios C. Watson, M.D., Ph.D.

Medical Oncology
Clinical Profile | Publications
Biography: Dr. Dionysios Watson is a physician-scientist dedicated to elucidating and therapeutically targeting tumor microenvironment interactions in solid tumor malignancies. He leads the NIH-funded DiscoverTME research laboratory as part of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, and his clinical practice focuses on lung and head/neck cancers.

Dr. Watson conducted...
View Full Profile >
Scott M. Welford, Ph.D.

Scott M. Welford, Ph.D.

Professor of Radiation Oncology
Publications
Biography: In 2021, I became a Professor of Radiation Oncology (with tenure) and Biology Division Chief at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine (Miller School) Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center (Sylvester). As Division Chief, I oversee seven basic-science faculty and joint efforts to promote translational, multidisciplinary science. I am also the coordinator of radiobiology...
View Full Profile >
Fangliang Zhang

Fangliang Zhang, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Publications
Biography: Bachelor of Science, University of Science & Technology of China, Hefei, China,1999
PhD in Biochemistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 2005
Postdoc, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 2005-2011
Assistant Professor, University of Miami, Miami, FL, 2011-2019
Associate Professor, University of Miami, Mimia, FL,...
View Full Profile >
Yanbin Zhang, Ph.D.

Yanbin Zhang, Ph.D.

Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Publications
Biography: Dr. Zhang is a professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. He is interested in understanding the causes of genome instability and how it contributes to cancer development. Dr. Zhang's group aims to determine how the proteins in the Fanconi anemia pathway affect DNA damage repair and breast cancer...
View Full Profile >

University of Miami Faculty

Michael H. Antoni, PhD

Michael H. Antoni, Ph.D.

Professor, Psychology
Research Director, Cancer Prevention and Control

Email: 
mantoni@med.miami.edu
Michael Schmale, PhD

Michael Schmale, Ph.D.

Professor, Marine Biology

Emailm.schmale@miami.edu

Biography: My research interests are in marine animal models of disease processes, with an emphasis on cancer. Ongoing research includes: 1) a unique virus-like agent which causes peripheral nervous systems and pigment cell tumors in bicolor damselfish on Florida reefs, 2) vector design and optimization of transgenesis in zebrafish, 3) the effect of toxins from agal blooms using zebrafish and 4) health and husbandry of California sea hares, Aplysia californica, used in neurobiological research.

Athula Wikramanayake, PhD

Athula Wikramanayake, Ph.D.

Professor, Biology
Chair, Department of Biology

Emailathula@miami.edu