Department News

Francis Johnson Lecture Highlights ‘Undruggable’ Cancer Target

In 1982, researchers discovered the first family of cancer-causing genes, which included the Kirsten rat sarcoma virus (KRAS), a gene that provides instructions for making a protein called K-Ras that relays signals from outside the cell to the cell’s nucleus. The KRAS gene is estimated to be a factor in up to 30 percent of all human cancers, including lung, pancreatic and colorectal cancer. At the time, the protein was deemed “undruggable.”

2023 RSOM Faculty Awards - Congratulations to Jessica Seeliger, Markus Seeliger, and Getu Teressa (former Pharmacology PhD and MSTP student)

The Renaissance School of Medicine has selected the winners of the 2023 Faculty Awards. Every year, the RSOM recognizes faculty members who are nominated for their outstanding work in the areas of research, teaching, clinical service, mentoring and humanism—all of which are vital facets that encompass the mission of the School of Medicine.

We are delighted to announce this year's (2023) RSOM Faculty awards:

Congratulations to Yasharah Raza on receiving awards totaling $45,000

Congratulations to Yasharah Raza, a doctoral candidate in Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology in the Renaissance School of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacological Sciences, on being awarded three prestigious fellowships and awards totaling $45,000 supporting her research on Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)! Raza was awarded a $25,000 Dissertation Fellowship from the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Congratulations to Dr. Dongyan Tan, 2022 recipient of Early Career Research Excellence Award.

We are delighted to announce the  

2022 Renaissance School of Medicine Faculty Awards winners.

Aesculapius Award for Excellence in Medical Education: Dr. Eva Swoboda, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Early Career Research Excellence Award: Dr. Dongyan Tan, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, and Dr. Pawan Kumar, Department of Microbiology and Immunology