Adam Palmer, PhD
Chapel Hill, NC
United States
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Adam Palmer is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. His research combines laboratory experiments, data analysis, and computer modeling to understand how combinations of cancer medicines work together, particularly curative treatments for aggressive lymphomas. Dr Palmer has developed computer models that predict the clinical effectiveness of drug combinations from how well the individual drugs work, and is now applying these methods to make combination therapies for blood cancers more effective and tolerable. Previously he completed undergraduate training in biochemistry, chemistry, and physics at the University of Adelaide, Australia, earned his PhD in Systems Biology from Harvard University studying antibiotic resistance, and conducted postdoctoral research on cancer pharmacology at Harvard Medical School.
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
Helen Parsons
Equity in Access
Helen Parsons, PhD
Minneapolis, MN
United States
University of Minnesota
Helen Parsons, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She has expertise in mixed-methods research, employing a combination of clinical registries, administrative data (e.g., Medicare), surveys and focus groups to understand how adoption of new programs and policies influence reimbursement and health outcomes, including the development and use of survey and administrative data to examine longitudinal health and psychosocial outcomes.
Program Name(s)
Equity in Access
Project Title
Robert Soiffer
transplantation
Robert Soiffer, MD
Boston, MA
United States
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Robert J. Soiffer, MD, is Chief of the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Chair of the Executive Committee for Clinical Programs at Dana Farber Cancer Institute as well as the Worthington and Margaret Collette Professor of Medicine in the Field of Hematologic Oncology at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Soiffer served as President of the American Society for Transplant and Cellular Therapies and Chair of the Advisory Board for the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research. He is a member of the Executive Steering Committees for Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network. Dr. Soiffer is Immediate Past Chair of the Board of Directors for the National Marrow Donor Program.
Dr. Soiffer conducts research focused on modulation of immune reconstitution in the setting of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT). His goal is to develop technologies to improve patient outcomes by optimizing graft versus leukemia (GVL) activity without inducing graft versus host disease (GVHD). Dr. Soiffer has co-authored more than 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts and numerous book chapters, review articles, editorials, and monographs.
Program Name(s)
Specialized Center of Research Program
Project Title
Understanding and Overcoming Mechanisms of Immune Evasion after Allogeneic Transplant
Dimericon
Blood cancers
Dimericon, LLC
Zurich,
Switzerland
TAP Partner
Dimericon is a private biotech company focused on exploring crosslinked helix dimers (Dimericons) as therapeutics and templates for small molecule development. Dimericon’s technology targets hard-to-drug intracellular protein-protein interactions using rationally designed mimetics of helix dimers. The Seed round of financing will support preclinical studies to further develop the current cFLIP inhibitor lead compound, DMRX1004, to be an IND ready clinical candidate in hematological malignancies.
Program Name(s)
Therapy Acceleration Program
Project Title
Supporting development of dimericons (crosslinked helix dimers) for blood cancers
Reid Merryman, MD
Boston, MA
United States
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Reid Merryman, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA, and a Senior Physician in the Division of Lymphoma at Dana-Farber Cancer institute (DFCI). He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He completed residency training in internal medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and fellowship training in hematology and oncology at DFCI. He serves as the Director of Clinical Research for the Lymphoma Division and as the Director of the Follicular Lymphoma Center and the Marginal Zone Lymphoma Center at DFCI. His research interests include 1) development of novel immune-based treatments in Hodgkin lymphoma and indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and 2) identification of novel biomarkers (like circulating tumor DNA) to guide response-adapted treatment approaches. He is currently leading 3 investigator-initiated trials testing CD3/CD20 bispecific antibody-based therapeutic approaches for patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory indolent NHLs.
Program Name(s)
Academic Clinical Trials Program (ACT)
Project Title
Bispecific antibody-based frontline therapy for follicular lymphoma
Erica Phillips, MD
New York, NY
United States
Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Dr. Erica Phillips is the Jack Fishman Professor of Cancer Prevention at Weill Cornell. She as served as the co-director for the BRIDGE program alongside Dr Leonard since the project's inception. Thus, she is equally knowledgeable about the programs accomplishments to date. The programmatic goals during this final funding year remain primarily the same, with an additional goal of formulating a new collaboration with the hematology/ oncology division at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn led by Dr Oscar Lahoud. Dr Phillips will resume the role of the primary grantee/ principal investigator effective June 1, 2025 as Dr Leonard departs Weill Cornell. He will remain an adjunct faculty member and involved in the project.
Program Name(s)
IMPACT
Project Title
BRIDGE (Blood cancer Research Initiative Developing Greater Engagement) with community patients
Gaurav Goyal
Erdheim-Chester Disease
Gaurav Goyal, MD
Birmingham, AL
United States
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
Dr. Goyal obtained his medical school diploma from Smt. N.H.L. Municipal Medical College in Ahmedabad, India, in 2011 and moved to the US to complete a residency in Internal Medicine from Creighton University Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska in 2016. He pursued a fellowship in hematology-oncology from Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota from 2016-2019. He developed a unique focus in histiocytic neoplasms, including Erdheim-Chester disease, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, and Rosai-Dorfman disease. He conducted multiple studies describing the epidemiology, treatments, and outcomes of patients with histiocytosis and led to the establishment of first of its kind multidisciplinary Histiocytosis Working Group. He has led national and international guidelines on the diagnosis and management of these rare disease entities. He was subsequently recruited to join the Hematology-Oncology division at University of Alabama at Birmingham as an Assistant Professor in 2019 where he launched the Histiocytic Disorder Survivor Study to assess long-term outcomes among individuals with histiocytic neoplasms.
Program Name(s)
Special Grants
Anushree Vichare
Equity in Access
Anushree Vichare, PhD, MBBS
Washington, DC
United States
The George Washington University
Dr. Vichare’s research investigates the impact of health policies on health equity. Her training as primary care physician and health services researcher, and professional experiences shape her research approaches. Her recent studies in collaboration with Dr. Luo and Ms. Erikson utilize Medicaid claims and generate foundational evidence on health workforce in Medicaid. She implements creative analytic approaches, including in her ongoing funded research projects that innovatively link physician race/ethnicity and Medicaid claims. The findings are critical to support policy improvements in health workforce diversity. Dr. Vichare has a solid understanding of Medicaid policies for cancer care. Her publications address salient issues relevant to the oncology specialty workforce, including a national study of radiation oncology workforce. Dr. Vichare developed an NQFendorsed quality measure to address variation in radiation therapy for bone metastasis. Her transdisciplinary research and resulting collaborations have produced notable publications (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1t5tUQmM5aboAj/bibliography/public/). Dr. Vichare has a track record of successfully managing teams, budgets and creating realistic research plans and timelines. Her experience in cancer health policy, familiarity with oncology specialty workforce and research approaches grounded in contemporary health equity frameworks demonstrate her expertise and motivation necessary to lead the proposed project.
Program Name(s)
Equity in Access
Project Title
Neha Mehta-Shah
T-cell lymphoma
Neha Mehta-Shah, MD
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Neha Mehta-Shah, MD, MSCI is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Washington University in St. Louis where she specializes in peripheral and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas. She completed her undergraduate and medical school at Northwestern University and then completed residency at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center. She was the chief resident at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she subsequently completed fellowship and chief fellowship in medical hematology/oncology in 2016. After joining the faculty at Washington University in St. Louis, she has developed a nationally recognized T-cell lymphoma program and completed a Master's of Science in Clinical Investigation. Having a passion for T-cell lymphoma research since medical school, she has been recognized with multiple awards from ASH, the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the T-cell Leukemia Lymphoma Society, the Alliance as well as a Paul Calabresi K12 Award. She leads multiple trials in T-cell lymphoma nationally including the first US Intergroup Study in untreated peripheral T-cell lymphomas, A0501902.
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
Jonathon Cohen
lymphoma clinical trial access in Georgia
Jonathon Cohen, MD
Atlanta, GA
United States
Emory University
Dr. Jonathon Cohen is an associate professor of hematology/oncology at Emory University and co-directs the lymphoma program at Winship Cancer Institute. He has developed and implemented studies conducted at sites throughout the US and frequently collaborates with colleagues throughout Georgia to offer trials to patients with lymphoma. He is a member of the ECOG-ACRIN Lymphoma Core Committee, Co-Chair of the Hoosier Cancer Research Network Lymphoma Committee, and Co-Chair of the Lymphoma Disease Focus Group of the NCI-funded Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network Consortium. He also leads national studies evaluating real-world outcomes in lymphoma. He has an active clinical practice providing consultative services for patients throughout Georgia. He has routinely engaged with oncologists throughout the region to promote quality lymphoma care through in-person and virtual educational talks, and through moderation of protocol sessions to develop treatment guidelines.
Program Name(s)
IMPACT
Project Title
Making an IMPACT on hematology care in Georgia: The Georgia Blood Cancer Trials Network (BCTN)
Lorenzo Falchi, MD
New York, NY
United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Dr. Falchi graduated Cum Laude from the University of Perugia, Italy. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center, residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital, and Hematology/Oncology fellowship at Columbia University Medical Center. He is currently an Assistant Attending in the Lymphoma and Cellular Therapy Services at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Dr. Falchi’s research focuses on the use of immunotherapy to treat B-cell NHL. He leads multiple such trials nationally and internationally. He authored or co-authored over 75 articles published in peer-reviewed journals, numerous abstracts, and several book chapters.
Dr. Falchi is Co-Editor-In-Chief of Oncoimmunology, Editorial Board Member for Blood Advances, and recurrent peer-reviewer for high-profile journals. He is recipient of several awards, including a Lymphoma Research Foundation Career Development Award. He is an active member of several scientific societies, including the American Society of Hematology.
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
Sham Mailankody
Myeloma immunotherapy clinical trials
Sham Mailankody, MBBS
New York, NY
United States
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
I am a medical oncologist with the Myeloma Service and a member of the Cellular Therapeutics Center and the Center for Health Policy and Outcomes at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. My research focuses on the clinical development of novel immune and cellular therapies for patients with multiple myeloma and translational research focused on better understanding the responses to cellular therapies and possible mechanisms of relapse. I am the principal investigator for multiple chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T trials for multiple myeloma, including the first trials of an allogeneic CAR T cell therapy and autologous GPRC5D CAR T cells for myeloma .
Program Name(s)
Career Development Program
Project Title
Improving outcomes with immune therapies for multiple myeloma