Welcome to the website for the Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences
which was established in February 2009 as a merger of the Department of Diagnostic
Sciences and Pathology with the Division of Oncology in the Department of Biomedical
Sciences. This merger represented a vision of bringing together the clinical aspects
of Oral Diagnosis, Oral Medicine, Oral Radiology and Oral Pathology with the basic
science aspects of Molecular Oncology. Each program had previously been successful
in its mission of teaching, service and research.
The creation of the new department reflects the vision of the school to enhance
interactions between clinicians and basic scientists in order to translate cutting
edge science into clinical practice and promote a new standard of care for our
patients. The department consists of more than 40 faculty members with broad
expertise including oral pathology, oral medicine, radiology, special care (HIV),
cancer prevention, cancer biology, and cancer genetics, and nutritional pathology.
The department is in the process creating a multidisciplinary center for oral mucosa
diseases to improve our patient care and translational research.
The department consists of 13 independent clinical and laboratory investigators
within an approximately 20,000 square foot research space located on the 6th and
7th floors of the new recently inaugurated state-of-the-art Dental School Building.
The research activities of the department extend from fundamental cancer biology,
inflammation, cancer immunology and cancer genetics to clinical trials in diagnosis
and prevention. The research programs are mainly supported by the National Institutes
of Health (NIH) including 8 ongoing R01 grants where faculty members of this
department serve as the Principal Investigators.
The department is committed to excellence in patient care, research, and
education. We are working closely with the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial
Surgery, the Department of Pathology in the Medical School, and the Clinical
Operation Board in the Dental School to provide superior clinical services.
We are partnering with departments and programs of other campus units, particularly
in the Medical School to develop collaborative research programs. Our faculty members
are also collaborating with investigators in other leading institutions, such as The
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the
NIH. Besides teaching courses for students of the DDS Program in the school, we are
providing opportunities to talented individuals to pursue Ph. D. degrees in
Experimental Pathology and Molecular Medicine or to obtain post graduate training
through fellowships and visiting scholarships. |
