Principal Investigators in the Clinical Genetics Branch (CGB)

Philip E. Castle, Ph.D., M.P.H., is an internationally recognized expert in the field of cervical cancer prevention. Dr. Castle has led and contributed critical insights to the design and conduct of randomized trials and cohort studies of the effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccination, screening regimens, and the natural history of cervical precancer and cancer.

Dr. Chaturvedi studies the molecular epidemiology of two common cancers—head and neck cancers and lung cancers. His work addresses research questions on etiology and natural history that have high potential for translation into efforts for screening and early detection of head and neck cancers and lung cancers.

Dr. Clarke conducts research combining molecular, clinical, and population-based approaches to address etiology, prevention, and early detection of anogenital and endometrial cancers, yielding results that inform natural history and clinical management and address cancer disparities. She also has a strong interest in developing methods for absolute risk assessment from clinical databases and assay evaluation.

Dr. Shahinaz Gadalla’s research focuses on the role of genetic factors in cancer etiology and on identifying genetic and environmental risk factors among individuals at high risk of developing cancer.

Dr. Alisa Goldstein studies the genetic epidemiology of several cancers, including melanoma and upper gastrointestinal cancer. She integrates epidemiologic, genetic, clinical, and molecular methodologies to understand the role of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of these cancers.

Payal Khincha, M.B.B.S., M.S.H.S. studies inherited cancer predisposition syndromes, particularly those that can affect children.

Lisa J. McReynolds, M.D., Ph.D., focuses on inherited predisposition to hematopoietic malignancies, incorporating genomics with epidemiology to understand their causes. She is an assistant clinical investigator in the Clinical Genetics Branch.

Dr. Lisa Mirabello's research program is focused on genetic susceptibility to pediatric cancer (especially osteosarcoma, the most common primary, malignant bone tumor among children and adolescents. She is also studying a large number of whole-genome sequences of carcinogenic HPV types from precancer/cancer cases and controls to understand the viral genetic basis of HPV carcinogenesis, and why HPV 16 is so much more carcinogenic than closely related HPV types.

Dr. Sargen, an assistant clinical investigator in CGB, studies the clinical, histopathologic, and genetic characteristics of melanoma-prone families. He also uses epidemiologic and molecular approaches to investigate risk factors for sebaceous carcinoma and other rare cutaneous malignancies. His mentors are Alisa Goldstein, Ph.D., and Margaret Tucker, M.D.

Sharon Savage's current research is focused on the genetic and molecular epidemiology of telomere biology, pediatric cancer etiology, and inherited cancer predisposition syndromes such as Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Mark Schiffman plans and conducts long-term molecular epidemiologic studies of human papillomavirus (HPV) and cervical cancer, taking what he learned from years of studying HPV natural history and etiology and applying it to the development of prevention methods and clinical management.

Douglas Stewart's major research interests are the adult manifestations of RAS-pathway disorders (especially NF1 and Legius syndrome), next-generation sequencing of NF1-associated tumors, and the characterization of novel features of NF1. He is also study director/principal investigator for the Pleuropulmonary Blastoma (PPB) DICER1 Cancer Study.

Dr. Wentzensen leads a research program focused on the molecular etiology and prevention of cervical and other human papillomavirus-related cancers, and ovarian and endometrial cancers. He is the Deputy Director of the Clinical Genetics Branch, Head of the Clinical Epidemiology Unit, and Principal Investigator for the Connect for Cancer Prevention Study.