Overview
The Cancer Immunology Research Program was founded with the mission to integrate and invigorate immuno-oncology efforts within Winship, building on existing strengths at Emory University and collaborating institutions.
The program focuses on translating innovative concepts and approaches to the clinic, particularly those innovations that address unmet needs and have the greatest potential impact for patients.
The program has three primary aims:
- To identify cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the capacity of the immune system to inhibit tumor growth.
- To define the mechanisms that permit tumors to resist and escape tumor immunity.
- To discover and test new approaches for promoting anti-tumor immunity and reducing toxicity.
The program is further enhanced by Winship's Center for Cancer Immunology, Immune Monitoring Shared Resource, the Emory Vaccine Center, and a P30 grant supplement to accelerate the translation of new cancer cell therapies from the lab into clinical trials for patients.
To learn more about the Cancer Immunology Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute, please contact Ryan Nobles, program coordinator, at (404) 712-5839 or via email.
Publications
Cancer Immunology program members continuously publish high-quality research in premier scientific journals.
Publications | Publication Date |
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Program Leaders

Madhav V. Dhodapkar, MBBS
- Director of Center for Cancer Immunology
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
- Leader, Cancer Immunology Research Program
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
An internationally recognized immunobiologist, Dr. Dhodapkar is working to harness the properties of the immune system to detect, prevent and treat cancer, with a particular focus on multiple myeloma.

Rafi Ahmed, PhD
- Co-Leader, Cancer Immunology Research Program
- Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
The long-term goal of Dr. Ahmed's research is to understand the mechanisms of B and T cell immunological memory and to use this information to develop new vaccines for the prevention and treatment of disease.
All Program Members
- Rafi Ahmed, PhD
- Co-Leader, Cancer Immunology Research Program, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
- John D. Altman, PhD
- Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Saja Asakrah, MD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
- Byron Au-Yeung, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
- Manoj Bhasin, PhD, MS
- Scientific Director, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology Shared Resource, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
- John Blazeck, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University
- Jeremy M. Boss, PhD
- Professor and Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Andres Chang, MD, PhD
- Instructor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Karen Conneely, PhD
- Associate Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine
- Max D. Cooper, MD
- Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
- Craig M. Coopersmith, MD, FACS, FCCM
- Professor, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine
- Madhav V. Dhodapkar, MBBS
- Director of Center for Cancer Immunology, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
- Kavita Dhodapkar, MBBS
- Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- Erik C. Dreaden, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- Mandy L. Ford, PhD
- Professor, Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, Emory University School of Medicine
- Cynthia R. Giver, PhD
- Associate Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Kelly C. Goldsmith, MD
- Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- Arash Grakoui, PhD
- Professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious , Emory University School of Medicine
- Ann E. Haight, MD
- Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- Curtis Henry, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- Edwin M. Horwitz, MD, PhD
- Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- David L. Jaye, MD
- Associate Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
- Mohammad K. Khan, MD, PhD, DABR, FACRO
- Associate Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Haydn T. Kissick, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Urology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Gabe A. Kwong, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University
- Gregory B. Lesinski, PhD, MPH
- Associate Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Charoan Li, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University
- Edjah K. Nduom, MD, FAANS
- Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, Emory University School of Medicine
- Brian Michael Olson, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Chrystal M. Paulos, PhD
- Acting Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Anne Piatadontis, MD, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
- Brian P. Pollack, MD, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Departments of Dermatology and Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Muna Qayed, MD, MsCR
- Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- Sarwish Rafiq, PhD
- Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine
- John D. Roback, MD, PhD
- Professor, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
- Ignacio Sanz, MD
- Mason I. Lowance Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- A. Fatih Sarioglu, PhD, MS
- Assistant Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
- Rafick-Pierre Sékaly, PhD
- Adjunct Professor and Vice-Chair of Translational Medicine, Department of Pathology, Emory University School of Medicine
- Periasamy Selvaraj, PhD
- Professor, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine
- H. Trent Spencer, PhD
- Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- Eric J. Sundberg, PhD
- Professor and Chair, Department of Biochemistry, Emory University School of Medicine
- Edmund K. Waller, MD, PhD, FACP
- Rein Saral, MD Professorship in Cancer Medicine, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University
- Kirsten M. Williams, MD
- Acting Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine
- Steven Yeh, MD
- Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology, Emory University School of Medicine