This page includes accolades and honors noted in the YCC/Smilow newsletter DirectConnect in 2025. For the 2024 mentions go here.
FEBRUARY
The Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale recently announced its 2025 awards in support of 15 breakthrough interventions in oncology, cardiometabolic, autoimmunity, dermatology, and more. Since 2017, the $65-million accelerator fund's 90 unique projects have led to 23 startup businesses, four acquisitions, nine investigational new drug (IND) clearances, and work across diverse therapeutic modalities. This year’s 15 awardees continue that legacy with projects spanning novel therapeutics to AI-powered medical solutions. Awardees for cancer-related projects include:
• Craig Crews, PhD, John C. Malone Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and professor of chemistry, pharmacology, and management, “BioLong: Extending serum half-lives of therapeutics.”
• Seth Herzon, PhD, Milton Harris '29 PhD Professor of Chemistry, “DNA Self-Activating Warheads (SAWs).”
• Yingqun Huang, MD, PhD, professor, obstetrics, gynecology & reproductive Sciences, “Inflammation & Immunology Breakthrough: Molecular glues for the selective elimination of pathogenic macrophages.”
• Carrie Lucas, PhD, associate professor of immunobiology, “Resetting the immune system for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.”
• Markus Müschen, MD-PhD, Arthur H. and Isabel Bunker Professor of Medicine (Hematology) and professor of immunobiology, “A new class of selective GSK3B-inhibitors for refractory lymphoid malignancies and autoimmunity.”
The 2nd Annual Division Chiefs and Promotions Dinner, sponsored by the Yale Cancer Center, celebrated three new research scientists, an associate professor of medicine (medical oncology), and three full professors of medicine (medical oncology). The event was hosted by Roy Herbst, MD, PhD, chief of medical oncology and hematology, and attended by dozens colleagues of:
• Research scientist Kadriye Nehir Cosgun, PhD
• Research scientist Kohei Kume, PhD
* Research scientist Meina Wang, PhD
• Associate Professor of Medicine Michael Cecchini, MD
• Professor of Internal Medicine Pamela Kunz, MD
• Professor of Internal Medicine Maryam Lustberg, MD, MPH
• Professor of Internal Medicine Amer Zeidan, MBBS
JANUARY
Yale Cancer Center leadership has selected Seth Herzon, PhD, Milton Harris ’29 Ph.D. Professor of Chemistry, Yale School of Medicine and Smita Krishnaswamy, PhD, Associate Professor of Genetics and of Computer Science, Yale School of Public Health as recipients of the 2024 Class of ‘61 Cancer Research Awards. The annual awards recognize significant accomplishments in cancer research at YCC by young faculty members, coupled with expectation for future outstanding contributions to understanding the causes and cures for cancer. In their nomination letters, Dr. Herzon was cited as an engaging and enthusiastic research partner, and a key contributor to the YCC mission, and Dr. Krishnaswamy as having demonstrated significant accomplishments in the field of data science and being poised for future outstanding contributions to the understanding of cancer biology. The Class of ’61 Cancer Research Awards are supported through the Yale Class of 1961 Cancer Center Endowment, which was established in 2016 by the Yale College class. Read more about the awards.
Sajid Khan, MD, Chief of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Mixed Tumors, and co-Principal Investigator Caroline Johnson, PhD Associate Professor of Epidemiology (Environmental Health Sciences) at Yale School of Public Health, have been awarded a highly competitive R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-National Cancer Institute (NCI) for the study titled “Role and Regulation of Asparagine in Colorectal Cancer.” This groundbreaking research aims to uncover the mechanisms by which asparagine influences sex-specific differences in the progression of advanced colorectal cancer. This is the duo’s third NIH-funded grant as Co-Principal Investigators, all of which have emphasized the importance of collaborative, interdisciplinary research. Read more about this grant here.
Congratulations to the awardees for the 2024 Retrospective Oncology Research Award (RORA) supported by Foundation Medicine. Researchers from across the Yale Cancer Center were invited to propose projects where real-world data could potentially provide tangible, valuable insights resulting in immediate impact to clinical care. Awarded projects will follow a collaborative research model with Foundation Medicine scientists, including indirect access to the Foundation Medicine—Flatiron Health Clinico-Genomic Database (CGDB). The awardees were Michael Cecchini, MD for "The Role of Splicing Factors SF3B1 and RBM10 in TP53 Wildtype PDAC" and Wayne Wong, MD, Xiao Wang (bottom right), MD and So Yeon Kim, MD for "STK11/KEAP-mutant a NSCLC on dual ICI and chemotherapy regimens vs. dual ICI alone or single ICI and chemo."
The non-profit Lion Heart Foundation, wrapping up 18 years of support for Yale breast cancer research, recently announced its final three research awards to Yale investigators for 2025. In its nearly two decades, the foundation has raised more than $1.6 million and 100% of it was donated to YCC and Smilow Cancer Hospital for research. In addition to the walk, donations have been raised by dozens of high school and university swim teams in New York and Connecticut. Those chosen for the $52,000 grants were Thazin Aung, PhD, Associate Research Scientist, Pathology for " Mapping the Spatial Landscape of Immune Response and Tumor Heterogeneity to PredictImmunotherapy Efficacy in Triple Negative Breast Cancer"; Tianxiang Zhang, PhD, Associate Research Scientist, Immunobiology for "Mechanism of PLA2G10 in Inducing the Immune Evasion and Resistance to Immunotherapies of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer" and Wei Hu, PhD, Assistant Professor of Immunobiology, YSM for "Novel Treg inactivating approach for breast cancer immunotherapy via targeted protein degradation."
YCC member Thazin Nwe Aung, PhD, associate research scientist received the $100,000 Career Development Award from the Dr. Susan Love Fund for her proposal. It identifies patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC), a fast-growing type of cancer with limited treatment options, as being in need of better treatment advice. Immunotherapy, which helps the immune system fight cancer, has benefited some patients, but around 70% do not respond and may experience serious side effects, even when tests suggest they should respond. Her team intends to develop a computational tool to predict treatment outcomes for TNBC.
Valentina Greco, PhD, Carolyn Walch Slayman Professor of Genetics, was named as “50 Scientists that Inspire” from Cell Press. Dr. Greco was named to the list due to her research in epithelial stem cells and her support of women in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine. Learn more about the “50 Scientists that Inspire” in Cell Press.
Mehra Golshan, MD, MBA, a professor of surgery at Yale School of Medicine and executive vice chair in the Department of Surgery, will be awarded a 2025 Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the Ellis Island Honors Society. The medal recognizes Golshan’s contributions to breast cancer treatment and research, his dedication to patient care, and his commitment to mentorship. For more, go here.
YCC members David Schatz, PhD, and Noah Wolcott Palm, PhD, will be honored the first week in May at the annual meeting of American Association of Immunologists in Honolulu, Hawaii. The AAI-BioLegend Herzenberg Award Presentation and Distinguished Lecture recognizes Dr. Schatz's "outstanding contributions to the field of immunology in the area of B cell biology. The AAI-BD Biosciences Investigator Award Presentation and Lecture recognizes a noteworthy early career achievement in immunology research by Dr. Palm, specifically "mapping uncharted landscapes of host-microbiota connectivity.
YCC member Lisa Fucito, PhD, director of the Tobacco Treatment Service at Smilow Cancer Hospital, recently received a new $3.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study interventions to help adults quit vaping and to evaluate potential health benefits of cessation including changes to health markers related to cancer. The proposal for the five-year grant said, in part: "Nicotine e-cigarette use in the US has increased to 13 million adult users per year. These devices are now the most popular tobacco product among young people. E-cigarettes deliver nicotine rapidly and are highly Harmful emerging evidence, including work by our team, suggests that e-cigarettes can induce DNA damage and suppress DNA repair, important mechanisms linked to cancer."
William Oh, MD was part of a panel discussion on "Radiopharmaceuticals for Cancer Therapy" at the recent meeting of the Precision Medicine World Conference in Silicon Valley in early February.
Gavitt Woodard, MD, Assistant Professor of Surgery (Thoracic), received the Richard E Clark award from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons for the best study using the national database. She presented the study a comprehensive evaluation of lung cancer surgery outcomes entitled "Lobectomy versus Sublobar Resection Among Lung Cancer Patients Understudied in Recent Clinical Trials," at a recent meeting of the STS meeting in Los Angeles. For more, go here.
YCC member Ruslan Medzhitov, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology, has been elected to the American Association of Immunologists 2025 class of Distinguished Fellows of AAI. This program recognizes members for distinguished careers and outstanding scientific contributions, as well as service to AAI and the immunology community.
Siyuan (Steven) Wang, PhD, was awarded the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB) Innovation in Research Award, which recognizes early- and mid-career scientists for their new and innovative research in cell biology. For more go here.
Three Yale Cancer Center physician-scientists are among five from Yale School of Medicine who have been elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI). The new YCC members are Ranjit S. Bindra, MD, PhD, Harvey and Kate Cushing Professor of Therapeutic Radiology, professor of pathology, and co-director of the Yale Brain Tumor Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital; David A. Braun, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine (medical oncology) and Louis Goodman and Alfred Gilman Yale Scholar; and Craig B. Wilen, MD, PhD, associate professor in laboratory medicine and immunobiology. The physician-scientists were elected for having “accomplished meritorious original, creative, and independent investigations in the clinical or allied sciences of medicine” and who enjoy “unimpeachable moral standing in the medical profession.” For more go here.
Jennifer Moliterno, MD, chief of neurosurgical oncology in the department of neurosurgery and clinical director of the Chenevert Family Brain Tumor Center, has been elected chair of the Tumor Section of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) and Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS). The Joint Section on Tumors is the largest organization of neurosurgical oncologists in the world. Its Executive Committee is composed of nearly 200 international experts, and Dr. Moliterno has served on it for 11 years in many positions. She will first serve as secretary and treasurer and begin her term as chair in 2027 and will be the second woman to serve in these roles in the 40-year history of the panel.
The Muzumdar Lab has been awarded another R01 grant to fund its project "Targeting pancreatic endocrine-exocrine signaling in cancer development with incretin mimetics." The lab has nearly a dozen members led by Mandar Deepak Muzumdar, MD, associate professor of genetics and of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology), who is scientific director, Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers at Smilow/YCC and co-director of the center's Pancreas Program; and co-director of the training program in Genetics, Genetics & Epigentics, one of the six YCC research programs. Co-investivators on the grant include cancer center members: Smita Krishnaswamy, PhD and Richard Kibbey, MD, PhD, and also Ania Jastreboff, MD, PhD.
The Keynote Lecture at the 2025 ASCO Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancers Symposium in San Francisco by Pamela Kunz, MD, FASCO, director of the Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers at Smilow and YCC, focused on focus on health equity in clinical research and patient care. Her lecture was “Disrupting Gastrointestinal Oncology: Shattering Barriers with Inclusive Science.”