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Research Leadership Council

The Research Leadership Council (RLC) is responsible for the coordination of Huntsman Cancer Institute's research portfolio and is accountable for the execution of Cancer Center goals. The RLC is chaired by Neli Ulrich, MS, PhD, and includes all Program Leaders, staff investigators, shared resource directors, Protocol Review and Monitoring System and Data and Safety Monitoring Committee chairs, senior administrators, and leaders of Huntsman Cancer Institute centers and partners. This group serves as the core leadership of the Cancer Center, participates actively in strategic planning for research initiatives, and evaluates programs, shared resources, and membership.

These programs are organized as part of a federally funded grant (NIH/NCI P30CA042014) in alignment with the requirements of our National Cancer Institute Cancer Center Support Grant accreditation.

New applications for Cancer Center membership are presented by a relevant Program Leader and put forward for an advisory vote by RLC members based on specific membership criteria. Dr. Ulrich makes final decisions on Cancer Center membership. The RLC meets monthly for two hours.

The RLC is composed of the following people:

Chair

Cornelia Ulrich, MS, PhD

Executive Director, Comprehensive Cancer Center

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Deputy Director

Theresa Werner, MD

Deputy Director, Comprehensive Cancer Center

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Senior Directors

David Gaffney, MD, PhD

Clinical Research (Interim)

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Rachel Ceballos, PhD

Community Outreach and Engagement

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Max Loveless

Max Loveless, MBA

Senior Administrative Director

Martin McMahon, PhD

Preclinical Translation

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Tracy Onega, PhD, MS

Population Sciences

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Aik Choon Tan, PhD

Data Science and AI

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Katharine Ullman, PhD

Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination

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Alana Welm, PhD

Basic Science

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David Wetter, PhD, MS

Cancer Health Implementation

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Program Co-Leaders

Jay Gertz, PhD

Genomics, Epigenetics, and Metabolism

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Jared P. Rutter, PhD

Genomics, Epigenetics, and Metabolism

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Shannon Buckley, PhD

Cancer Biology and Microenvironment

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Sheri L. Holmen, PhD

Cancer Biology and Microenvironment

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Howard Colman, MD, PhD

Experimental Therapeutics

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Martin McMahon, PhD

Experimental Therapeutics

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Jennifer Doherty, MS, PhD

Cancer Control and Population Sciences

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Kimberly Kaphingst, ScD

Cancer Control and Population Sciences

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Clinical Leaders

Howard Colman, MD, PhD

Chair, Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee

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Siwen Hu-Lieskovan MD, PhD

Protocol Review and Monitoring Committee Vice-Chair

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Vaia Florou, MD, MS

Director of the Phase 1 Clinical Trials Program

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Heloisa P. Soares, MD, PhD

Medical Director, Clinical Trials Office

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Paul J. Shami, MD

Chair, Data and Safety Monitoring

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Shared Resource Directors

Kenneth M. Boucher, PhD

Cancer Biostatistics

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Ann Chen, PhD

Ann Chen, PhD

Cancer Biostatistics

Nicola Camp, PhD

Utah Population Database

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Brian Dalley

Brian Dalley, PhD

High-Throughput Genomics and Cancer Bioinformatics

Christopher Fillmore, PhD

Christopher Fillmore, PhD

Biorepository and Molecular Pathology

David Lum

David H. Lum, PhD

Preclinical Cancer Models

Whitney Maxwell, MS, CGC

Inherited Cancer Research

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David Nix

David A. Nix, PhD

High-Throughput Genomics and Cancer Bioinformatics

Andrew Post, MD, PhD

Comprehensive Oncology Data and Engineering

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Staff Investigators

Jennifer Doherty, MS, PhD

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Kathleen Mooney, PhD, RN, FAAN

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Administration

Sam Alvey headshot

Sam Alvey, PhD

Co-Director of Research Development

Kris Frisby

Kris Frisby

Director of Research Administration

Garrett Harding portrait

Garrett Harding

Associate Director, Community Engagement and Policy

Max Loveless

Max Loveless, MBA

Senior Administrative Director; Administrator, Cancer Center Support Grant

Jessica Moehle, CCRP

Jessica Moehle, CCRP

Senior Clinical Research Administrative Director

Emily Olsen

Emily Olsen, MBA, MPA

Senior Administrative Manager, Disease Centers

Kelli Thorne

Kelli Thorne, MPH, CCRP

Director, Research Compliance Office

Melanie Ward

Melanie Ward

Administrative Director, Cancer Center Support Grant

Holly Zullo, PhD

Holly Zullo, PhD

Director of Research Development

Centers and Partners

Center for Cancer Genetics

Center for HOPE

Center for Investigational Therapeutics

Center for Patient and Public Education

Donna M. Branson
Director

Center for Quantitative Cancer Imaging and Therapeutics

Children’s and Adolescent Cancer Initiative/Division of Pediatric Hematology

Michael Pulsipher, MD
Director/Chief

Computational Oncology Research Initiative (CORI)

Department of Radiation Oncology

Division of Hematology and Hematological Malignancies

Division of Oncology

Theresa L. Werner, MD
Acting Chief

Division of Surgical Oncology

Global Oncology Initiative at Huntsman Cancer Institute

Huntsman Alliance for Postdocs (HAP)

Kate Warde, PhD
Representative