Hollings Distinguished Lecture Series

The MUSC Hollings Cancer Center Distinguished Lecture Series features talks on the latest discoveries in cancer research from leading experts at institutions around the country.

Lectures take place in Hollings Room 120 at 12 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Some lectures also have the option to attend via Microsoft Teams.

Upcoming 2025 Lectures

“Targeting Lipid Metabolism in Pancreatic Cancer”

December 5, 2025

Costas A. Lyssiotis, Ph.D.
Maisel Research Professor of Oncology
Professor of Molecular and Integrative Physiology
Professor of Internal Medicine
Director Academic Program
Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Co-director of Pancreas Cancer Initiatives
Rogel Cancer Center

Past 2025 Lectures

“Nerve-to-cancer Transfer of Mitochondria during Cancer Metastasis”

November 14, 2025

Simon Grelet, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
University of South Alabama

“Optimizing Interventions: Moving Beyond the Kitchen Sink Approach to Develop Effective Smoking Cessation Interventions in Primary Care”

October 21, 2025

Megan E. Piper, Ph.D.
Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health
Director of Research, Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention
University of Wisconsin

“What can prostate cancer treatment teach us about sex hormones and anti-tumor immunity?”

September 26, 2025

Amy Moran, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Cell, Developmental and Cancer Biology, School of Medicine
Program in Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, School of Medicine
Cancer Biology Graduate Program, School of Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University

“Structure & Function of RAD51 Paralog Tumor Suppressor Complexes”

July 25, 2025

Shaun K. Olsen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
CPRIT Scholar
Department of Biochemistry & Structural Biology
University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

“Molecular Control of Nucleotide Metabolism and Cell Function”

May 30, 2025

Issam Ben-Sahra, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Simpson Querrey Biomedical Research Center
Northwestern University

“Visualizing Base Excision Repair in Chromatin”

March 28, 2025

Bret D. Freudenthal, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Laboratory of Genome Maintenance and Structural Biology
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Department of Cancer Biology
University of Kansas Medical Center
University of Kansas Cancer Center

"Chromatin Mechanisms and Genome Maintenance Functions of Histone Code Writers"

January 31, 2025

Brian D. Strahl, Ph.D.
Professor and Oliver Smithies Investigator
Department of Biochemistry & Biophysics
Assistant Dean for Research, School of Medicine
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Past Series

"Determinants of B Cell Function in Cancer"

November 10, 2023

Yuliya Pylayeva-Gupta, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Genetics
Adjunct, Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Co-Leader, Immunology Program
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

"Multi-pronged CAR-T Cell Therapies for Cancer"

October 27, 2023

Yvonne Y. Chen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
University of California, Los Angeles

"Molecular and Cellular Determinants of Obesity-Accelerated Breast Cancer"

September 29, 2023

Paul Cohen, M.D., Ph.D.
Albert Resnick, M.D. Associate Professor
Head, Laboratory of Molecular Metabolism
The Rockefeller University

"Bioengineering Immunity: From Cancer Early Detection to T Cell Therapies"

July 28, 2023

Gabe A. Kwong, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Faculty Fellow
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Georgia Tech and Emory School of Medicine

“TCR and CAR Gene Modified T Cells for the Immunotherapy of Cancer”

June 30, 2023

Michael Nishimura, Ph.D.
Professor, Surgical Research; Cancer Biology
Associate Director, Cancer Center Translational Research
Program Director, Immunologic Therapeutics
Loyola University Chicago

“On the Evolutionary History of Metastatic Cancer”

May 26, 2023

Kamila Naxerova, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Center for Systems Biology
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School

“Implementation Science Principles and Practice for Advancing Cancer Control Equity”

April 28, 2023

María E. Fernández, Ph.D.
Vice President, Population Health and Implementation Science
Lorne Bain Distinguished Professor of Public Health and Medicine
Professor, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences
Director, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, School of Public Health
Founding Director, UTHealth Institute for Implementation Science
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

“Development of Immunotherapeutic Approaches for Liver Cancer”

March 31, 2023

Guangfu Li, Ph.D., D.V.M., M.S.
Associate Professor (tenured)
Tom Miltenberger Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research
Department of Surgery (primary)
Department of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology (affiliate)
NextGen Precision Health
Ellis Fischel Cancer Center
University of Missouri

“Spatial Omics Analysis of Molecular Aging”

December 10, 2024

Kevin Schey, Ph.D., FARVO, FAAAS
Professor, Biochemistry, Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences
Stevenson Chair in Biochemistry
Director of Core Facilities, Mass Spectrometry Research Center
Vanderbilt University

“Lipid Dependency of KRAS Plasma Membrane Interactions”

December 6, 2024

John F. Hancock, MA, MB, BChir, Ph.D., ScD, MRCP, FRACP
Executive DeanH. Wayne Hightower Distinguished Professor in the Medical Sciences
Executive Director, The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine
John S. Dunn Distinguished University Chair in Physiology and Medicine
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

“Cancer Therapy with T Cell Receptor Engineered Lymphocytes: Combating the Immunosuppressive Microenvironment”

October 25, 2024

Richard C. Koya, M.D., Ph.D.
Professor, University of Chicago School of Medicine
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Biological Sciences Division
Director of the cGMP Vector Development & Production
University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center

“Arrested development: unraveling the dysfunctional life history of pediatric brain tumors”

September 27, 2024

Paul A. Northcott, Ph.D.
Endowed Chair in Molecular Neuro-Oncology
Director, Center of Excellence in Neuro-Oncology Sciences (CENOS)
Member, Department of Developmental Neurobiology
Member, Neurobiology & Brain Tumor Program
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

“Dietary modulation of anti-tumor immunity”

August 30, 2024

Russell Jones, Ph.D.
Chair, Department of Metabolism and Nutritional Programming
Van Andel Institute

“Strategies to Reprogram Myeloid Cell-mediated Immune Suppression in Cancer Hosts”

June 28, 2024

Paulo C. Rodriguez, Ph.D.
Senior MemberChair, Department of Immunology
Co-Leader, Immuno-Oncology Program
Moffitt Cancer Center

"Genetic Drivers in Pancreatic Cancer"

May 31, 2024

Azeddine Atfi, Ph.D.
Leader, Cancer Biology Program
VCU Massey Cancer Center
Mary Anderson Harrison Distinguished Professor in Cancer Research
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department
Virginia Commonwealth University

"Differential Functions of KRAS Splice Variants"

April 26, 2024

Mark R. Philips, M.D.
Professor of Medicine; Cell Biology; and Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology
Associate Director, NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center
NYU Grossman School of Medicine

"Unleashing the immune system against triple-negative breast cancer through inactivating the Hsp90 chaperoning machine"

February 23, 2024

Ahmed Chadli, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Member, Molecular Oncology & Biomarkers Research Program, Georgia Cancer Center
Medical College of GeorgiaAugusta University

"Advancing Cancer Population Sciences at HCC: SC-SPOT (Catchment Area Dataviz tool) and Big Databases"

January 26, 2024

Kelly Sonawane, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Public Health Sciences
Member, Cancer Prevention & Control Program
MUSC Hollings Cancer Center
Medical University of South Carolina