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SPORE in Skin Cancer
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About Us

The major strength of the YSPORE is the outstanding scientific faculty and clinical investigators and its clinical and basic research resources. The faculty includes over 60 investigators with diverse interests drawn from basic, clinical and population science departments at Yale (Dermatology, Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center/Oncology, Pathology, Surgery, Genetics, Immunology, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Laboratory Medicine, Chemical & Biomedical Engineering, Therapeutic Radiology, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology) and outside Yale (Cell Biology, New York University, NY). There is a wide spread expertise in basic and clinical aspects of melanoma, non-melanoma skin cancers, molecular biology, approaches for genome and proteome wide analysis, immunology, oncology, surgery, biostatistics, bioinformatics, behavioral sciences, pathology and dermatopathology. As a group, the investigators are interested in cancer research - over 90% of the Yale investigators are members of the Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The YSPORE is overseen by internal and external board of advisors composed of distinguished investigators with expertise in translational research. The board meets once a year to evaluate the program, and to provide criticism and suggestion to changes. The YSPORE is flexible, and can change direction to ensure excellence, progress and translational results.

SPORE Faculty

  • Marcus Bosenberg, MD, PhD

    Director

    Anthony N. Brady Professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Immunobiology; Director, Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer; Director, Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology; Co-Leader, Cancer Immunology, Yale Cancer Center

    Marcus Bosenberg MD, PhD, is a physician scientist who directs a leading melanoma research laboratory, is Co-Leader of the Cancer Immunology Program of Yale Cancer Center, Director of the Yale Center for Immuno-Oncology, Contact PI of the Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer,  Director of the Center for Precision Cancer Modeling, and is a practicing dermatopathologist at Yale Dermatopathology through Yale Medicine.In his research, Dr. Bosenberg studies factors that regulate anti-cancer immune responses. His laboratory has developed several widely utilized mouse models in order to study how melanoma forms and progresses, to test new cancer therapies, and how the immune system can be stimulated to fight cancer. He works to translate basic scientific findings into improvements in cancer diagnosis and therapy. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles and is a member of the Yale Cancer Center Executive Committee.Dr. Bosenberg mentors undergraduate, graduate, medical, and MD-PhD students in his laboratory, teaches at Yale School of Medicine, and trains resident physicians, fellows, and postdoctoral fellows.
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  • Harriet Kluger, MD

    Co-Director

    Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Medicine (Oncology) and of Dermatology; Director, Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer, Yale Cancer Center; Vice Chair for Translational Research, Internal Medicine; Chief, Division of Skin and Kidney Cancer; Associate Cancer Center Director, Education, Training and Faculty Development; Deputy Section Chief, Medical Oncology

    Dr. Kluger is a medical oncologist who sees patients with melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. Her research interests focus on developing new drug regimens and biomarkers predictive of response to therapies in melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. She participates in a number of clinical trials studying new agents for the treatment of these diseases, both targeting the immune system and the cancer cell. She runs an active research laboratory that studies tumor and immune cells from patients treated with novel therapies to determine mechanisms of resistance to therapy and mediators of toxicity from immune checkpoint inhibitors. The laboratory also conducts pre-clinical studies to improve treatment regimens for patients with melanoma, renal cell carcinoma or brain metastasis. Please visit the lab website at: https://sites.google.com/yale.... Learn more about Dr. Kluger>>
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  • Richard Flavell, PhD, FRS

    Sterling Professor of Immunobiology; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

    Dr. Flavell is Sterling Professor of Immunobiology at Yale University School of Medicine, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He received his B.Sc. (Honors) in 1967 and Ph.D. in 1970 in biochemistry from the University of Hull, England, and performed postdoctoral work in Amsterdam (1970-72) with Piet Borst and in Zurich (1972-73) with Charles Weissmann. Before accepting his current position in 1988, Dr. Flavell was first Assistant Professor (equivalent) at the University of Amsterdam (1974-79); then Head of the Laboratory of Gene Structure and Expression at the National Institute for Medical Research, Mill Hill, London (1979-82); and subsequently President and Chief Scientific Officer of Biogen Research Corporation, Cambridge, Massachusetts (1982-88). Dr. Flavell is a fellow of the Royal Society, a member of the National Academy of Sciences as well as the National Academy of Medicine. Richard Flavell uses transgenic and gene-targeted mice to study Innate and Adaptive immunity, T cell tolerance and activation in immunity and autoimmunity,apoptosis, and regulation of T cell differentiation.
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  • Jennifer McNiff, MD

    Professor of Dermatology and Pathology; Director, Yale Dermatopathology Laboratory; Section Chief, Dermatopathology

    Dr. McNiff received her M.D. from the University of Vermont College of Medicine, and trained in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology at the University of Virginia Health Sciences Center. After completing a fellowship in dermatopathology at the Medical College of Virginia in 1992, Dr. McNiff joined the faculty at the Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. McNiff’s interests and publications are focused on general clinicopathologic correlations in dermatopathology, mycosis fungoides, animal models of lupus erythematosus and graft vs. host disease, and immunofluorescence techniques in dermatopathology. She is a frequent invited speaker at national and international meetings, and is the past President of the American Society of Dermatopathology.
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  • David Rimm, MD, PhD

    Anthony N. Brady Professor of Pathology and Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology); Director, Yale Cancer Center Tissue Microarray Facility, Pathology; Director, Yale Pathology Tissue Services, Pathology; Director, Physician Scientist Training Program, Pathology Research

    David Rimm is the Anthony N. Brady Professor of Pathology in the Departments of Pathology and Medicine (Oncology) at the Yale University School of Medicine. He is the Director of Yale Pathology Tissue Services and the Lab for Quantitative Diagnostics in Anatomic Pathology. He completed an MD-PhD at Johns Hopkins University Medical School followed by a Pathology Residency at Yale and a Cytopathology Fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia. His research lab group focuses on quantitative pathology using the AQUA® technology invented in his lab, and other quantitative methods, with projects related to predicting response and resistance to both targeted and immune- therapy in cancer. His lab is involved in the use of new high-plex methods including digital spatial profiling (NanoString) for new biomarker discovery. He is also interested in translation of assays to the clinic and standardization of those assays for CLIA labs. The work is supported by grants from the NIH, BCRF, and sponsored research agreements from biopharma. He also serves on the CAP Immunohistochemistry committee and multiple scientific advisory boards for biotech and pharma. He is an author of over 500 peer-reviewed papers with an H-index of 120 and 8 patents.
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  • Mario Sznol, MD

    Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology); Clinical Research Leader, Melanoma Program; Co-Leader, Cancer Immunology, Yale Cancer Center; Co-Director, Yale SPORE in Skin Cancer

    Dr. Mario Sznol is a Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology). Dr. Sznol, formerly with the National Cancer Institute, has an international reputation in cancer drug development. Dr. Sznol's expertise and experience is in cancer immunotherapy, drug development for cancer, and treatment of patients with melanoma and renal cell carcinoma. He is working to expand the opportunities for clinical trials at the Yale Cancer Center, particularly those focusing on immunotherapy and novel agents.Learn more about Dr. Mario Sznol>>
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