Four researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have assumed new leadership roles. 

Shared resources at Vanderbilt-Ingram are designed to support and enhance cancer-relevant research and scientific interaction by providing access to cutting-edge technologies and services, as well as scientific expertise.

Scott Hiebert, PhD, emeritus professor of Biochemistry and the Hortense B. Ingram Chair in Cancer Researchat Vanderbilt University, led these shared resources in the Cancer Center from 2010 to 2025. With his retirement from Vanderbilt University, Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, director of Vanderbilt-Ingram, has appointed William Tansey, PhD, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and professor of Cell and Developmental Biology, as the next associate director for Shared Resources for Vanderbilt-Ingram.  

As associate director for Shared Resources, Tansey will oversee 10 resources, including animal and human imaging, bioanalytics and proteomics, chemical synthesis and high-throughput analytics, cell imaging, data science, flow cytometry, genome editing, genomic sciences, survey and biospecimen, and translational pathology. In addition to his leadership roles at Vanderbilt-Ingram, Tansey has an active research lab that focuses on transcriptional dysregulation in cancer cells. 

“Shared resources provide Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators access to technologies, expertise, and a collaborative infrastructure that would be impractical to have in their own laboratories. Our shared resources are world-class in every respect, and each of them are backed by experienced teams of professionals dedicated to advancing and accelerating cancer discovery. I am honored and excited to oversee this vital and vibrant part of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center mission,” said Tansey, who also serves as co-leader of the Genome Maintenance Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram. 

Translational Research, which is an essential component of Vanderbilt-Ingram and how findings in the lab are “translated” to clinical practice, was previously led by Park. With an ever-increasing number of opportunities to perform translational cancer research at Vanderbilt-Ingram, Douglas Johnson, MD, MSCI, professor of Medicine and the holder of the Susan and Luke Simons Directorship, has been named the next associate director for Translational Research.  

Johnson will oversee the implementation of emerging treatments and therapy advancements, such as cellular therapies, immunotherapies and targeted therapies. Johnson, who is clinical director of melanoma at Vanderbilt-Ingram, has expertise in this realm, having been an investigator on early clinical trials for immunotherapies and having recently implemented a tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy service line for patients. 

“Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center has incredible strengths in translating observations in the lab to the clinic, and from the clinic to the lab. I look forward to continuing to work with so many talented scientists and physicians in this role,” Johnson said. 

Douglas Kojetin, PhD, Ingram Associate Professor of Cancer Research and associate professor of Biochemistry, will join two other experts as co-leader of the Genome Maintenance Research Program. He joins Tansey and David Cortez, PhD, the Richard N. Armstrong PhD Professor of Innovation in Biochemistry, at the helm. The Genome Maintenance Research Program is focused on understanding how DNA is damaged, repaired, packaged, expressed and replicated. These are the processes that take place in carcinogenesis. 

“Dr. Kojetin will be an outstanding leader of the Genome Maintenance Program,” Cortez said. “His own research program is creative, rigorous and impactful. His thoughtfulness, enthusiasm and dedication to service will help our entire research community to make discoveries that reduce the suffering caused by cancer. I look forward to working with him.”  

Kristen Ciombor, MD, MSCI, has been named co-leader of the Gastrointestinal (GI) Cancer Research Program. She brings a wealth of knowledge to this role, having previously been co-leader of the Translational Research and Interventional Oncology Research Program. She is nationally and internationally recognized for her clinical research program and clinical expertise in colon cancer.

Ciombor also serves as the principal investigator for the NCI-funded National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) Lead Academic Participating Site (LAPS) grant at Vanderbilt-Ingram. Ciombor will join Cathy Eng, MD, who has led the GI Research Program for seven years, as she transitions away from this role over the next six months to focus more on her role as associate director of Strategic Relations and Research Partnerships and the Young Adult Cancers Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram.  

Park said the four researchers have established track records that make them the perfect choice for their new respective leadership roles. 

“Drs. Tansey, Johnson, Kojetin and Ciombor are all highly respected cancer researchers with the leadership skills to effectively lead these areas at Vanderbilt-Ingram,” Park said. “Cancer encompasses a myriad of complicated diseases, and our investigators are approaching it from many fronts. The research areas these scientists lead, and their ability to cultivate interactions across and between programs, are integral to our mission of advancing treatments and improving outcomes for people with cancer.” 

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Susan G. Komen has awarded $10.8 million in new research grants that will help propel innovative science and deliver hope to those facing breast cancer. The grant recipients include three researchers from Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

The grants support 25 cutting-edge projects at 17 institutions — marking a powerful commitment to improving outcomes for people living with breast cancer today and in the future.

“We are proud to support these exceptional researchers who are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in breast cancer science,” said Paula Schneider, president and CEO of Susan G. Komen. “Research saves lives, and now more than ever, we must invest in science that brings hope to patients — especially those facing the most aggressive forms of breast cancer.”

The three VUMC researchers were each awarded Komen Leadership Grants of $400,000. The Komen Leadership Grant Program supports innovative, hypothesis-driven breast cancer research that aligns with Komen’s mission to save lives and improve personalized care and outcomes for all. Open to Komen’s Scientific Advisors and to Komen Scholars, the program funds bold, high-risk/high-reward projects with the potential to significantly advance the field of breast cancer research.

The VUMC recipients are Tuya Pal, MD, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and professor of Medicine; Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, Benjamin F. Byrd Jr. Professor of Oncology and professor of Medicine; and Jennifer Pietenpol, PhD, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and professor of Biochemistry.

Through this research investment, Komen is prioritizing the most pressing challenges facing patients, including metastatic breast cancer, optimal health for all and the need for more precise, personalized treatment strategies to improve care and outcomes for everyone impacted by breast cancer.

“Komen’s commitment to breast cancer research comes at a pivotal time and will drive meaningful advances in our understanding of the disease and care of patients,” said Ann Partridge, MD, MPH, Chief Scientific Advisor for Komen. “By fueling science that is both innovative and inclusive, we’re accelerating progress where patients need it most — while building a foundation for individualized care for all.”

Komen is the largest nonprofit funder of breast cancer research outside the U.S. government, investing nearly $1.1 billion since its inception. Unlike many research institutions, Komen’s work is powered entirely by the generosity of individual donors, corporate partners and community supporters.

“Investing in top scientific talent is one of the most powerful ways we can drive progress,” said Pietenpol, PhD, Chief Scientific Advisor for Komen. “Komen’s commitment, especially to early-career researchers, cultivates a vibrant ecosystem where bold ideas and pioneering research can thrive, accelerating our path toward the cures we urgently seek.”

Pietenpol holds the Brock Family Directorship in Career Development at VUMC. Park is director of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and a member of the Komen Scientific Advisory Board. Pal is a Komen Scholar.

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Pelayo Correa, MD, professor emeritus of Medicine and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and John Kuriyan, PhD, dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, have been elected to the 2025 class of fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy.

The mission of the fellows of the AACR Academy is to recognize and honor extraordinary scientists whose groundbreaking contributions have driven significant innovation and progress in the fight against cancer.

Fellows of the AACR Academy constitute a global brain trust of leading experts in cancer science and medicine, working to advance the AACR’s mission to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, collaboration, communication, advocacy and funding for cancer research.

Fellows of the AACR Academy are nominated and elected through a peer-reviewed process that rigorously evaluates each candidate’s scientific achievements and contributions to global cancer research. Only those whose work has made a profound and lasting impact on cancer research and related fields are considered for election and induction into the AACR Academy.

Correa was recognized for his “illustrious work defining the histological stages of gastric carcinogenesis through the ‘Correa Cascade’ and establishing the link between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer, fundamentally advancing the understanding of the pathology, epidemiology, and prevention of this disease.”

Kuriyan, Mary Geddes Stahlman Chair and University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Cell and Developmental Biology, was recognized for his “heralded contributions to cell signaling and kinase biology, including the elucidation of the switching mechanisms of tyrosine kinases such as SRC and EGFR, which has advanced the fundamental understanding of signal transduction regulation and informed the development of kinase-targeted therapies for cancer and other malignancies.”

Correa and Kuriyan are among 33 new fellows who will be recognized at the AACR Annual Meeting on April 25-30 in Chicago. Including this year’s class, only 375 cancer researchers have been named fellows of the AACR Academy.

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