Program Leadership


Carlos Moreno

Message from the Program Director, Carlos Moreno, PhD

Welcome to the Cancer Biology graduate program at Emory University! We have been extremely excited to see this program grow from an idea into a reality in just a few years. Throughout its development, our top priority has always been to create outstanding PhD training opportunities for the next generation of cancer scientists and leaders. We want to prepare our graduate students for diverse career paths in research, teaching, and medicine from academia to industry. The faculty in this program cut across a spectrum of cancer biology disciplines that range from basic science to translational and pre-clinical science. Our curriculum encompasses basic biomedical courses and in depth cancer topical courses; but most importantly, we train our students to think in new ways, e.g. discovery-based rather than memorization. This will prepare them to make new scientific discoveries, establish novel knowledge, and foster the design of new treatments.

The environment is that of a world-class University, which includes the Winship Cancer Institute, an NCI-designated cancer center where cutting edge research and new treatments are being developed. We hope that this diverse offering will provide the students with a breadth of training opportunities, important questions to solve and participate in the advances to eliminate cancer, all within a scientifically rigorous environment.

We are looking forward to sharing our excitement about the study of cancer biology, the importance of making basic and clinical applicable discoveries and your participation in this fascinating journey towards a cure for cancer.

Sincerely,

Carlos Moreno, PhD


Program Leadership

Director: Carlos Moreno, PhD (2025)
Director of Graduate Studies: Haydn Kissick, PhD (2026)

Executive Committee

  • Anna Kenney, PhD (Director of Recruitment) (2024)
  • Chrystal Paulos, PhD (Curriculum Chair) (2025)
  • David Frank, MD, PhD (Faculty Membership Chair) (2026)
  • Mala Shanmugam, PhD (Oral Exam Chair) (2026)
  • Kelly Goldsmith, MD (Written Exam Chair) (2024)
  • Andy Hong, MD (DEI Chair) (2026)
  • Kavita Dhodapkar, MD (2024)
  • Greg Lesinski, PhD, MPH (2026)

Student Representative

Anna Cole (2026)


Program Administrator

Holley Butkovich | Email: hbutkov@emory.edu