As chair, Alana will lead the department’s academic, research, and administrative efforts while serving as a key strategic partner to Huntsman Cancer Institute. She will guide the department’s research strategy, support faculty in securing external funding, and oversee graduate education, faculty development, and resource management. In close collaboration with U of U Health and Huntsman Cancer Institute leadership, Welm will work to elevate the department’s national profile and foster a culture of innovation, inclusion, and scientific excellence.

Sets of metabolites found in blood and urine reliably correspond with how much energy from ultra-processed food a person consumes, according to a new study published May 20^th in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine by Erikka Loftfield of the National Cancer Institute, USA, and colleagues.

Christopher Kane, MD, CEO, UC San Diego Health Physician Group, appointed president of American Board of Urology.

Impaired neuromusculoskeletal function due to conditions such as stroke, osteoarthritis, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s disease, limb amputation, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury and cancer is a leading cause of disability and affects roughly 1.7 billion people worldwide, including 19% of the U.S. adult population. Researchers led by Rice University’s Benjamin J. Fregly have developed a treatment design software that implements a novel personalized medicine approach for addressing this important societal problem.

Miriam Merad, MD, PhD, an internationally acclaimed immunologist and oncologist, has been awarded the title of Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur [Knight of the Legion of Honor] by the French Republic. The prestigious distinction, presented at the Consulate General of France in New York by the Ambassador of France to the United States, honors Dr. Merad’s groundbreaking contributions to macrophage biology and immunology and her leadership in transforming the landscape of translational research and precision medicine. One of France’s highest civilian honors, the Legion of Honor recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to their fields and society at large. Dr. Merad was selected for her visionary research elucidating the role of innate immune cells in cancer and chronic inflammatory disease, as well as her commitment to fostering global scientific collaboration and advancing human health.

Mass General Brigham head and neck cancer researchers are reporting in a new study in Clinical Cancer Research, on the development and testing of HPV-DeepSeek, a novel liquid biopsy assay. In their new study, HPV-DeepSeek achieved 99% sensitivty and specifity for diagnosing HPV-associated head and neck cancers, outperforming standard of care methods. HPV causes about 70% of oropharyngeal cancers in the U.S., which are increasing in incidence faster than other head and neck cancers.