Petr Protiva, MD, MPH

Dr Protiva is a clinician scientist with focus on colon cancer biology, screening and prevention. Main goal of his research is to identify the biological pathways and interventions that modulate the risk of cancer with special focus on colon cancer and nutrition. His laboratory focuses on cancer prevention and investigates the molecular events underlying preventive interventions using translational approach in a highly controlled settings. His group elucidated molecular events underlying the effects of estrogen, folic acid, vitamin D, calcium and Western style diet in human colorectal tissue.

Dr Protiva’s additional cancer research project involve clinical research. He serves as a local site investigator for the largest interventional VA study – CSP#577 – investigating the effect of colonoscopy vs FIT on mortality from colon cancer (50,000 subjects randomized).

In addition, Dr Protiva conducts epidemiology research using healthcare databases, exploring large patient datasets and generating hypotheses for future cancer research.

Other focus of his laboratory is the analysis and systems approach to basic and translational research questions using genome wide gene expression analysis. He collaborates with other researchers that show overlap with his interest in colon cancer biology or interpretation of large-scale gene expression data.

He serves as an Associate Editor for the BMJ Open Gastroenterology where he manages manuscripts related to luminal GI research.