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2025 Sontag Award Recipient

“The Sontag Foundation Distinguished Scientist Award provides more than funding, it provides an invaluable network of leading brain tumor researchers from around the country—accelerating our research and future clinical trials that stem from this work."

About DSA-Funded Research

We have identified specific groups of myeloid cells that suppress the immune response, but we need to prove exactly how they block cancer-fighting immune cells. To do this, we will use advanced laboratory models that mimic real brain tumors, allowing us to study the interactions between immune cells and cancer cells in a way that has not been done before. By pinpointing the signals that cause myeloid cells to suppress the immune system, we can develop new strategies to block these signals, making it easier for the immune system to attack the tumor. If successful, this research could lay the foundation for more effective immunotherapies for glioblastoma, offering hope for treatments that finally work for patients with this devastating disease.

Current Appointment(s)
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
  • Pathologist, Division of Genomic & Molecular Pathology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
Education
  • The Ohio State University, B.S., Biomedical Science
  • Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, M.D., Medical Scientist Training Program
  • Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Ph.D., Pathology, Cancer Biology Training Program

Grantee Website