As President of Academic & External Affairs and Chief Scientific Officer, Daniel Simon, MD leads the system’s strategy and performance across the spectrum of research including basic, translational, clinical and health services/outcomes. He also oversees UH’s graduate medical education and has primary responsibility for academic affiliations, including with Case Western Reserve University, Oxford University, NEOMED and Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. He is charged with elevating the system’s performance in medical education and discovery to the highest levels and driving strategic philanthropy. Additionally, Dr. Simon oversees the Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals -- part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development and has executive leadership responsibility for the Office of Community Impact, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Dr. Simon is a practicing cardiologist and continues to play a leading role in national and international clinical trials investigating new devices and anti-thrombotic drugs. A recipient of numerous research awards, Dr. Simon was elected into the American Society for Clinical Investigation, Association of University Cardiologists, and the Association of American Physicians. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed basic science and clinical journals.

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In his role as Deputy Director of Research, Quintin Pan, PhD focuses on advancing our research efforts at UH Seidman Cancer Center. In addition to maintaining his own vibrant research program in head and neck cancer, he focuses on developing a unifying research vision for the cancer center that spans basic, translational and clinical research. Dr. Pan also co-leads an effort to grow the federal and non-federal research portfolio, helps to recruit and retain outstanding cancer researchers and train students, residents, and fellows, and catalyze collaborative programmatic research efforts across UH Seidman Cancer Center. He is a recognized leader in his field and has served on several high profile national posts including editorial board member of Cancer Research and a member of the National Cancer Institute Head and Neck Cancer Metastatic and Recurrent Disease Task Force from 2011-2017. Currently, he is Chair of the NIH/NIDCR Data and Safety Monitoring Board, Translational Science Co-Chair of EA2182, and invited extramural member of the NCI Head and Neck Cancer Think Tank to guide the NIH’s funding priorities for head and neck cancer for the next decade.

In her role as Pediatrician-in-Chief and Chair, Marlene Miller, MD leads the development and implementation of strategic, business and marketing plans for the pediatric health system across University Hospitals. She oversees over 150 pediatric faculty across our tripartite mission of: To Heal. To Teach. To Discover. Dr. Miller is an internationally renowned clinician and scientific leader in pediatric health care quality and value. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications on pediatric quality and patient safety, has been continuously grant funded and received grants from the National Institutes of Health, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Institute of Medicine, and the Children’s Hospital Association. Dr. Miller is a frequent presenter at national meetings and has led and participated in numerous national committees focused on pediatric health care.

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Jordan M. Winter, MD is a nationally recognized, board-certified surgeon with a special interest in the medical and surgical management of pancreatic and related cancers, pancreatic cysts, chronic pancreatitis, bile duct strictures, biliary, gastric and liver cancers and abdominal tumors. Dr. Winter is a leader in translational and basic research. As director of the Winter Lab, he is at the forefront of investigational efforts to find alternative treatments for pancreatic cancer. With 18 years of experience, Dr. Winter has made significant contributions to his field of study and has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles and a dozen book chapters, many of which focus on pancreatic cancer. He excels in his role as educator and is committed to helping his colleagues reach their professional goals.

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Cynthia Owusu, M.D., M.S., is a renowned expert in geriatric oncology, and is currently the Principal Investigator on a $2.8 M research grant awarded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Disparities. The study aims to examine the impact of physical activity on functional status, body composition and biomarkers of breast cancer prognosis among African American and socially disadvantaged breast cancer survivors. Her current clinical research efforts aim to increase functional status and participation of older women in clinical trials to potentially improve breast cancer outcomes in this population. She has more than 33 publications with 25 published manuscripts containing original research and has presented 27 presentations on the local, regional and national levels. Dr. Owusu is part of the editorial board for the Journal of Geriatric Oncology and serves as an Ad Hoc Reviewer for seven different publications. She is currently a mentor in the ASCO Diversity Mentoring Program and on the UH Seidman Cancer Center Patient and Family Advisory Council and Case Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Board.

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Agata Exner, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned researcher leading multidisciplinary efforts on the development of nanobubble contrast agents for ultrasound molecular imaging and engineering novel, and design of nanomedicines and long acting injectable formulations for ultrasound-enhanced drug delivery. She is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, Distinguished Investigator of the Academy of Radiology Research, chartered member of the Gene and Drug Delivery Systems study section, and Ultrasound Section Editor of Molecular Imaging and Biology Journal.

Eric Chen, MD, received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley with honors in molecular cell biology and his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Dr. Chen completed an intern year in surgery at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He is currently a PGY4 resident in radiation oncology at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, with a particular interest in research regarding health disparities especially as it pertains to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Koen van Besien is the current Chief of the Division of Hematology and Director of the Wesley Center for Immunotherapy at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Professor at Case Western Reserve University. Previously he was Director of the Cell Therapy and Transplant Programs at University of Chicago and at NYP/Weill Cornell. Dr. van Besien is a hematologist and oncologist and clinical researcher with over 30 years of experience in stem cell transplant and cellular therapy research. As Director of the Wesley Center for Immunotherapy, Dr. van Besien oversees a large translational research operation with capacity to produce genetically modified cell products for clinical investigational use. Dr. van Besien has a long history of mentoring and many of his trainees have gone on to successful academic careers. He is the previous recipient of a K24 mentoring grant.

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David Wald is a physician scientist with a research focus in translational cancer research. In particular, his research work has been heavily focused in the development of new therapeutic strategies and biomarkers for hematologic malignancies and cell therapy. His clinical work has focused in the area of Clinical Pathology. He is a co-director of our institutional Hematopoietic Biorepository and Clinical Cell Therapy Lab and co-director of our Clinical Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics lab. Dr. Wald has led efforts to discover and develop several novel small molecules through nearly all stages of preclinical development including animal toxicity, pharmacologic studies and animal efficacy work. His work has led to the initiation of several clinical trials based upon work in our lab including one small molecule trial for AML and several cell therapy trials including a recently completed NK cell trial. In terms of cell therapy, his group has been in active in lab based and clinical NK and CAR-T studies. His work has led to numerous NIH and foundation grants, multiple awards, patents and publications including a Harrington-Scholar Innovator Award and a recent election into the American Society of Clinical Investigation.

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