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Immune Oncology

Membership of the Immune Oncology (IO) Program is composed of a diverse and multidisciplinary group of investigators with robust strength in immunogenetics, cellular and molecular immunology, onco-immunology, and translational immunotherapeutics. IO investigators work collaboratively to investigate, discover, and improve current and new immune-based therapeutics in an effort to overcome mechanisms of immune resistance and evasion by cancer cells, creating paradigm-shifting discoveries in both preclinical and clinical realms.

Program Aims

  • Elucidate the genetic and molecular mechanisms that control antitumor immunity and recognition of cancer cells by immune cells.
  • Discover novel strategies to overcome acquired and/or adaptive immune resistance.
  • Develop clinical trials leveraging novel molecular, cellular, and immune cancer therapeutics.

Program Members

  • Portrait of Ata Abbas

    Ata Abbas, PhD

    Research Scientist, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: axa335@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.1627

  • Donald Anthony

    Donald D. Anthony, Jr. , MD, PhD

    Professor, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: DDA3@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.3540

  • Portrait of Faiz Anwer

    Faiz Anwer, MD

    Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: anwerf@ccf.org

  • Federico Aucejo headshot

    Federico Aucejo, MD

    Director, Liver Cancer Program, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: aucejof@ccf.org

  • Dr. Stefanie Avril

    Stefanie Avril, MD

    Associate Professor, School of Medicine
    Norma C. and Albert I. Geller Professor in Ovarian Cancer Research
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: stefanie.avril@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.3890

  • Portrait of Tonjeh M Bah outside in whitecoat

    Tonjeh Bah, MD

    Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: tbah@metrohealth.org

  • Jayati Basu headshot

    Jayati Basu, PhD

    Assistant Staff, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: BASUJ@ccf.org

  • Claudio Brunstein headshot

    Claudio Brunstein, MD, PhD

    Hematology and Medical Oncology, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: brunstc@ccf.org

  • Portrait of G. Thomas Budd

    G. Thomas Budd, MD

    Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: buddg@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.444.6480

  • Laura Bukavina headshot

    Laura Bukavina, MD

    Assistant Professor, Urology, Cleveland Clinic, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: laura@bukavina.com

    Phone: 216.444.6043

  • Aaron Burberry

    Aaron Burberry, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: aaron.burberry@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.1066

  • Portrait of Tatiana Byzova

    Tatiana V. Byzova, PhD

    Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: byzovat@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.4312

  • Paolo Caimi headshot

    Paolo F. Caimi, MD

    Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, School of Medicine
    Medical Director, Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center Clinical Trials Unit, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: paolo.caimi@case.edu

  • Mark Cameron, PhD

    Mark Cameron, PhD

    Associate Professor, Department of Nutrition, School of Medicine
    Member, Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Faculty, Cleveland Institute for Computational Biology

    Email: mjc230@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.3196

  • Portrait of Hetty Carraway blonde woman wearing dark jacket

    Hetty E. Carraway, MD, MBA

    Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: carrawh@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.5899

  • A headshot of Dr. Cascalho.

    Marilia Cascalho, MD, PhD

    Vice Chair for Research, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Richard J. Fasenmyer Professor in Immunopathogenesis, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: marilia.cascalho@case.edu

  • Sakti Chakrabarti headshot

    Sakti Chakrabarti, MD

    Assistant Professor, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

  • Lai Chan

    Lai (Linda) Chan, PhD

    Assistant Staff, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: chanl3@ccf.org

  • Timothy Chan headshot

    Timothy Chan, MD, PhD

    Professor, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences, School of Medicine
    Co-Director, National Center for Regenerative Medicine, School of Medicine
    Associate Director for Translational Research, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: CHANT2@ccf.org

  • Sung Hee Choi, PhD

    Research Scientist, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: sunghee.choi@case.edu

  • Gregory Cooper headshot

    Gregory Cooper, MD

    Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine
    Co-Leader, Population and Cancer Prevention Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: Gregory.Cooper@uhhospitals.org

    Phone: 216.844.5385

  • Portrait of Kevin Cooper in blue dress shirt, blue tie and white coat

    Kevin D. Cooper, MD

    Chair, Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: kevin.cooper@UHhospitals.org

    Phone: 216.844.3111

  • Portrait of Mari Dallas

    Mari H. Dallas, MD

    Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: mhd27@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.3345

  • Jerry Dang

    Jerry Dang, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor, Surgery, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
    Bariatric, Foregut, and Flexible Endoscopic Surgeon, Digestive Disease Institute, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

  • Robert Dean headshot

    Robert M. Dean, MD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: deanr@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.5365

  • Changchun Deng headshot

    Changchun Deng, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: Changchun.Deng@UHhospitals.org

  • Portrait of Amar Desai

    Amar Desai, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: amar.desai@case.edu

  • Portrait of C Marcela Diaz

    C. Marcela Diaz, PhD

    Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: diazc2@ccf.org

  • Portrait of James Driscoll

    James Driscoll, MD, PhD

    Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: james.driscoll@UHospitals.org

    Phone: 216.368.0933

  • George Dubyak

    George R. Dubyak, PhD

    Professor, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: george.dubyak@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.5523

  • Robert Fairchild headshot

    Robert L. Fairchild, PhD

    Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: fairchr@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.444.3146

  • Sarah Ferri headshot

    Sarah Ferri, MD

    Associate Staff, Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: sferri7878@gmail.com

  • Claudio Fiocchi Headshot

    Claudio Fiocchi, MD

    Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Inflammation and Immunity, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: fiocchc@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.0895

  • Saori Furuta headshot

    Saori Furuta, PhD

    Associate Professor, Cancer Biology, Case Western Reserve University
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: sxf494@case.edu

  • Portrait of Molly Gallogly, MD, PhD

    Molly Gallogly, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: molly.gallogly@UHhospitals.org

  • Portrait of Stan Gerson in dark suit with light colored tie

    Stanton L. Gerson, MD

    Dean, School of Medicine
    Senior Vice President for Medical Affairs
    Director, National Center for Regenerative Medicine
    Professor, Department of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Environmental Health Sciences
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: stanton.gerson@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.2825

  • Wendy Goodman

    Wendy A. Goodman, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: wag@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.3920

  • Portrait of Neetu Gupta

    Neetu Gupta, PhD

    Associate Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: guptan@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.444.7455

  • Portrait of Betty Hamilton

    Betty K. Hamilton, MD

    Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: hamiltb2@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.7580

  • Dr. Clifford Harding

    Clifford V. Harding, MD, PhD

    Joseph R. Kahn Professor and Chair of Pathology, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    University Hospitals Distinguished Physician
    University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center

    Email: cvh3@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.3611

  • Brian Hill

    Brian T. Hill, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: hillb2@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.9451

  • Alex Huang headshot

    Alex Y.C. Huang, MD, PhD

    Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Co-Leader, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Director, Medical Scientist Training Program, School of Medicine

    Email: alex.y.huang@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.1271

  • James Ignatz-Hoover headshot

    James Ignatz-Hoover, MD, PhD

    Hematologist/Oncologist, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center
    Assistant Professor, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: jji12@case.edu

  • Portrait of Deepa Jagadeesh

    Deepa Jagadeesh, MD

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: jagaded@ccf.org

  • Babal Jha

    Babal Jha, PhD

    Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: jhab@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.9651

  • Suneel Kamath headshot

    Suneel Kamath, MD

    Assistant Professor, Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

  • Dr. David Kaplan

    David R. Kaplan, MD, PhD

    Professor Emeritus, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: drk5@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.6590

  • Portrait of Jack Khouri

    Jack Khouri, MD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: khourij@ccf.org

  • headshot of Byung-Gyu Kim

    Byung-Gyu Kim, PhD

    Instructor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: bxk93@case.edu

  • Xiaoxia Li

    Xiaoxia Li , PhD

    Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: lix@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.8706

  • Melissa Lumish headshot

    Melissa Lumish, MD

    Hematology and Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

  • Chao Ma headshot

    Chao Ma, PhD

    Assistant Staff, Center for Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: mac7@ccf.org

  • headshot of Daniel McGrail

    Daniel J McGrail, PhD

    Assistant Staff, Immunology, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: mcgraid@ccf.org

  • Dr. Edward Medof

    M. Edward Medof, MD, PhD

    Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: m.medof@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.5434

  • Joseph Melenhorst headshot

    Jan Joseph Melenhorst, PhD

    Director, Cell Therapy and Immuno-Engineering, Cleveland Clinic
    Vice Chair, Immunotherapy and Precision Immuno-Oncology, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: melenhj@ccf.org

  • Leland Metheny headshot

    Leland Metheny, MD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: leland.metheny@UHhospitals.org

  • Dr. Howard Meyerson

    Howard J. Meyerson, MD

    Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: howard.meyerson@case.edu

    Phone: 216.844.1848

  • Tyler Miller

    Tyler E. Miller, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: tymiller@case.edu

    Phone: 216.286.2807

  • Portrait of Amr Mohamed

    Amr Mohamed, MD

    Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: amr.mohamed@UHhospitals.org

  • Sudipto Mukherjee

    Sudipto Mukherjee, MD, MPH

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: mukhers2@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.444.0506

  • Rebecca Obeng

    Rebecca Obeng, MD, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: rebecca.obeng@case.edu

  • Pushpa Pandiyan

    Pushpa Pandiyan, PhD, MSc

    Associate Professor, Biological Sciences, School of Dental Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Member, Center for AIDS Research
    Member, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, School of Medicine

    Email: pushpa.pandiyan@cwru.edu

    Phone: 216.368.2939

  • Reshmi Parameswaran headshot

    Reshmi Parameswaran, MS, PhD

    Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: rxp278@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.5697

  • Rakhshanda Layeequr Rahman headshot

    Rakhshanda Layeequr Rahman, MD

    Executive Director, MetroHealth Cancer Institute
    Professor, Surgical Oncology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: rrahman2@metrohealth.org

  • Dr. Parameswaran Ramakrishnan

    Parameswaran Ramakrishnan, PhD, MS

    Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Associate Professor, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, School of Medicine
    Research Biologist, Louis Stokes Cleveland Veterans Affairs Medical Center

    Email: pxr150@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.2387

  • Portrait of Luke Rothermel

    Luke Rothermel, MD, MPH

    Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: luke.rothermel@UHhospitals.org

  • headshot of Natalie Silver

    Natalie Silver, MD, MS, FACS

    Director, Head and Neck Cancer Research, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: silvern@ccf.org

  • Nora Singer headshot

    Nora Singer, MD

    Professor, Rheumatology, MetroHealth Medical Center
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: nsinger@metrohealth.org

  • Portrait of Ronald Sobecks

    Ronald M. Sobecks, MD

    Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: sobeckr@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.445.4626

  • Raghvendra Srivastava, PhD

    Raghvendra Srivastava, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: srivasr@ccf.org

  • William Tse in white labcoat

    William Tse, MD, MBA

    Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: wtse@metrohealth.org

    Phone: 216.778.3845

  • Koen van Besien headshot

    Koen van Besien, MD, PhD

    Director, Wesley Center for Immunotherapy, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
    Division Chief, Hematology and Cellular Therapy, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: koen.vanbesien@uhhospitals.org

  • Portrait of Kristen VanHeyst

    Kristen VanHeyst, DO

    Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: kristen.vanheyst@UHhospitals.org

  • David Wald headshot

    David Wald, MD, PhD

    Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Co-Leader, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: david.wald@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.5668

  • Li Lily Wang headshot

    Li Lily Wang, PhD

    Professor, Department of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: wangl9@ccf.org

    Phone: 216.973.5628

  • headshot of Jianjun Wu

    Jianjun Wu, PhD

    Assistant Staff, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: WUJ9@ccf.org

  • Mei Zhang

    Mei Zhang, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center
    Member, CWRU Center for Imaging Research

    Email: mei.zhang2@case.edu

    Phone: 216-368-6744

  • Liangliang (Lyons) Zhang

    Liangliang (Lyons) Zhang, PhD

    Assistant Professor, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: liangliang.zhang2@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.5968

  • Chen Zhao

    Chen Zhao, MD, PhD

    Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, School of Medicine
    Member, Immune Oncology Program, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center

    Email: cxz545@case.edu

    Phone: 216.368.4712