Department: Cancer Biology
Contacts
Office: 265 Campus Drive, Suite G2103
Mail Code: 94305-5456
Phone: (650) 723-6198
Web Site: https://med.stanford.edu/cancerbiology.html
Courses offered by the Cancer Biology Program are listed under the subject code CBIO on the Stanford Bulletin's ExploreCourses website.
The Cancer Biology Ph.D. program was established in 1978 at Stanford University. During the past four decades, the understanding of cancer has increased dramatically with the discovery of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, pathways of DNA damage and repair, cell cycle regulation, angiogenesis and responses to hypoxia, and the molecular basis of metastasis, among others. In addition, methods of parallel analysis including genomic and proteomic approaches have begun to refine and redefine the taxonomy of cancer diagnosis. This explosion of basic and clinical science has, in turn, resulted in the first successful cancer chemotherapies and immunotherapies based on knowledge of specific molecular targets. Stanford presents a unique environment to pursue interdisciplinary cancer research because the School of Medicine, the School of Humanities and Sciences, and the School of Engineering are located on a single campus, all within walking distance of one another.
The goal of the Cancer Biology Ph.D. program is to provide students with education and training that will enable them to make significant contributions to this remarkable field. Coursework during the first year is designed to provide a broad understanding of the molecular, genetic, cell biological, and pathobiological aspects of cancer. Students also learn about the current state of clinical diagnosis and treatment of human cancers. Equally important during the first year is a series of three rotations in research laboratories chosen by each student. By the end of the first year, each student has chosen his/her research advisor and has begun work on his/her dissertation project. A qualifying examination must be completed before the end of December of the second year. An annual Cancer Biology Conference provides students with an opportunity to present their research to one another and to the faculty in the program. The expected time to degree is four to five years.
Students are not limited to a single department in choosing their research advisors. The Cancer Biology Ph.D. program currently has approximately 65 graduate students located in a variety of basic science and clinical departments throughout the School of Medicine and School of Humanities and Sciences. Many students are supported by a training grant from the National Cancer Institute.
The Cancer Biology Ph.D. program is committed to fostering a diverse community of students. The program welcomes all individuals and strives to support them so they achieve their full potential. It values the diversity of its students because culture, socioeconomic and educational background, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, physical ability, life experiences, hobbies, and interests allow the program as a group to reach a greater level of innovation in cancer research.
Faculty
Program Co-Directors: Laura Attardi (Radiation Oncology and Genetics) and Julien Sage (Pediatrics and Genetics)
Executive Committee on Cancer Biology: Laura Attardi (Radiation Oncology and Genetics), Scott Dixon (Biology), Erinn Rankin (Radiation Oncology, Obstetrics, and Gynecology), Julien Sage (Pediatrics and Genetics), Jiangbin Ye (Radiation Oncology)
Admissions Committee on Cancer Biology: Laura Attardi (Radiation Oncology and Genetics), Brooks Benard (Ph.D. Student), Nidhi Bhutani (Orthopedic Surgery), Matthew Bogyo (Pathology and Microbiology and Immunology), Gheorghe Chistol (Chemical and Systems Biology), Scott Dixon (Biology), Paul Khavari (Dermatology), Quynh-Thu Le (Radiation Oncology), Brianna McIntosh (Ph.D. Student), Everett Moding (Radiation Oncology), Jason Rodencal (Ph.D. Student), Julien Sage (Pediatrics and Genetics), Tanya Stoyanova (Radiology), Kevin Wang (Dermatology), Monte Winslow (Genetics)
Participating Departments and Faculty
Biochemistry: Philip Beachy (Professor), Mark Krasnow (Professor), Julia Salzman (Associate Professor)
Bioengineering: Jennifer Cochran (Professor)
Biology (School of Humanities and Sciences): Scott J. Dixon (Assistant Professor), Judith Frydman (Professor), Or Gozani (Professor), Ashby Morrison (Associate Professor), Dmitri Petrov (Professor), Jan M Skotheim (Professor), Tim Stearns (Professor)
Biomedical Data Science: Andrew Gentles (Assistant Professor), Purvesh Khatri (Associate Professor), Aaron Newman (Assistant Professor)
Chemical And Systems Biology: James K. Chen (Professor), Gheorghe Chistol (Assistant Professor), Karlene Cimprich (Professor)
Chemical Engineering and Genetics: Monther Abu-Remaileh (Assistant Professor), Xiaojing Gao (Assistant Professor)
Dermatology: Howard Y. Chang (Professor), Paul A. Khavari (Professor), Carolyn Lee (Assistant Professor), Anthony Oro (Professor), Kevin Wang (Assistant Professor)
Developmental Biology: Margaret Fuller (Professor), Roeland Nusse (Professor)
Genetics: Michael Bassik (Assistant Professor), Anne Brunet (Professor), Christina Curtis (Associate Professor), Livnat Jerby (Assistant Professor), Julien Sage (Professor; Co-Director of Stanford Cancer Biology Program), Serena Sanulli (Assistant Professor), Alice Ting (Professor), Monte Winslow (Associate Professor)
Medicine/Endocrinology/Gerontology/Metabolism: Justin Annes (Associate Professor), Katrin Chua (Associate Professor)
Medicine/Gastroenterology and Hepatology: Anson Lowe (Associate Professor)
Medicine/Hematology: Steven Artandi (Professor; Director, Stanford Cancer Institute), Calvin Kuo (Professor), Ravindra Majeti (Professor)
Medicine/Oncology: Ash Alizadeh (Professor), Gilbert Chu (Professor), Michael Clarke (Professor), Dean Felsher (Professor), Ronald Levy (Professor)
Microbiology and Immunology: Peter Jackson (Professor), Garry Nolan (Professor)
Neurology and Neurosurgery: Michelle Monje (Associate Professor)
Neurosurgery: Albert J. Wong (Professor)
Orthopedic Surgery: Nidhi Bhutani (Associate Professor)
Otolaryngology: John Sunwoo (Professor)
Pathology: Robert Angelo (Assistant Professor), Matthew Bogyo (Professor), Gerald Crabtree (Professor), Edgar Engleman (Professor), Andrew Fire (Professor), Bingwei Lu (Professor), Jonathan Long (Assistant Professor), Paul Salomon Mischel (Professor), Jonathan Pollack (Professor), Capucine van Rechem (Assistant Professor), Ansuman Satpathy (Assistant Professor), Katrin Svensson (Assistant Professor), Irving Weissman (Professor; Virginia & D.K. Ludwig Professor for Clinical Investigation in Cancer Research, Professor of Developmental Biology), Marius Wernig (Professor)
Pediatrics/Hematology/Oncology: Charles Gawad (Associate Professor), Matthew Porteus (Professor), Kathleen Sakamoto (Professor)
Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences: Erin Gibson (Assistant Professor)
Radiation Oncology/Radiation and Cancer Biology: Laura Attardi (Professor; Co-Director of Stanford Cancer Biology Program), Richard Frock (Assistant Professor), Edward Graves (Associate Professor), Everett Moding (Assistant Professor), Sharon Pitteri (Associate Professor), Erinn Rankin (Assistant Professor), Jiangbin Ye (Assistant Professor)
Radiation Oncology/Radiation Therapy: Max Diehn (Associate Professor), Quynh-Thu Le (Professor)
Radiology/Diagnostic Radiology: Parag Mallick (Associate Professor, Research), Sylvia Plevritis (Professor), Tanya Stoyanova (Assistant Professor)