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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