As an associate staff physician in the leukemia department at the Cleveland Clinic (CCF), I have a sustained focus on clinical research in precursor conditions leading to hematologic malignancies with a specific focus on myeloid neoplasms. My research interest involves studying clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP), an entity with huge implications in the development of hematological malignancies, cardiovascular diseases, and with opportunities for prevention in both fields. My interest in studying therapeutic and prognostic implications of cancer genomics in MDS, AML, and cardiovascular disease originated from my lab and clinical research training in hematology at Yale Cancer Center. In particular, my interests include exploring the clonal diversity of myeloid malignancies, determination of external stimuli leading to alterations in clonal milieu and contributing to myeloid disease progression, with an overarching goal of myeloid malignancy prevention and development of newer treatment strategies for patients with myeloid malignancies, a group with abysmal survival outcomes. In my role as a clinical investigator within the leukemia team at CCF, my goal is to study methods and develop or repurpose available drugs to prevent blood cancer or at least halt progression in initial stages.
Within the past three years, I have spearheaded several research efforts (prospective and retrospective; involving population sciences and genomics) to IRB approvals, study activation, original research, national and international meeting presentations and publications, pursued interdepartmental and multi-institutional collaborative efforts committed to translating science. Based on this work, I have published several first and last author manuscripts in reputed journals such as Blood Advances, Annual Reviews of Medicine, JAMA Network Open, Journal of Clinical Oncology – Precision Oncology, Scientific Reports, and others. I have presented nationally and internationally at major conference meetings, such as oral presentations at ASH, AACR, and ASCO Annual Meetings. At the Cleveland Clinic, where I serve as the Medical Director of the CHIP and Cytopenia Clinic, I plan to make positive contributions to the care of patients with CHIP, clonal cytopenia of unknown significance (CCUS,) and MDS, especially those with higher-risk mutations, and identify actionable targets. At the CHIP clinic, we follow individuals with CHIP and CCUS prospectively for early disease detection, prompt intervention and aim to positively influence the outcomes of patients. Additionally, we focus on racial/ ethnic minority populations, with an overarching goal of advancing scientific discoveries in an equitable manner. I am a recipient of the 2023 Robert A. Winn Diversity in Clinical Trials Award as well as the NANETS Clinical Research Grant. Through these efforts, and under the mentorship of Dr. Alex Adjei, CCF research efforts are focused on designing clinical trials to address specific cancer problems in minority populations using multifaceted approach that addresses access, by bringing trials closer to where people live, help overcome barriers such as transportation and time constraints, build cultural competence, trust, and work towards community empowerment.
Research Information
Research Interests
My research focuses on cancer prevention, clonal hematopoiesis (CHIP), health disparities, and drug repurposing to improve outcomes for underserved populations. As the Director of the CHIP Clinic, which has one of the highest number of prospectively enrolled CHIP patients and is among the leading clinics for standard-of-care CHIP CCUS patients in the nation, I investigate CHIP as a biomarker for cancer and cardiovascular risk and integrate early detection and prevention efforts into routine clinical care. My work prioritizes reducing disparities by examining socioeconomic and environmental factors contributing to cancer incidence and outcomes, particularly in veterans and racial/ethnic minority populations. Additionally, I focus on drug repurposing strategies, identifying existing therapies with anticancer potential to develop cost-effective, accessible interventions that enhance cancer prevention and treatment equity.