Page 15 - 2019 Annual Report

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Ovarian cancer can be a devastating diagnosis. Melissa Geller, MD, MS, associate professor and division director of gynecologic oncology in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Women’s Health,
is working to change that. Wanting to give her patients “extra years... better life...” drives her research to find new and better therapies for her patients. Like her mentor, Jeffrey Miller, MD, Dr. Geller is using natural killer (NK) cells. She currently leads a clinical trial using NK immunotherapy for women with recurrent ovarian cancer.
Dr. Geller’s research attacks ovarian cancer
on many levels, including translational research in mouse models, and development of better online and interactive education tools for women with the disease.
Salspera
Department of Surgery Professor Daniel Saltzman, MD, PhD, sees patients with pediatric cancers, gastrointestinal disorders, and chest wall deformities. But as a member of the Masonic Cancer Center, his research has also been with natural killer cells.
Along with the University of Minnesota Office for Technology Commercialization, Dr. Saltzman is one of the founders of Salspera Technologies Microbial Immunotherapy, which uses engineered and constructed Salmonella bacteria to target and infiltrate tumors and initiate an immune response against them.
932
MD STUDENTS
56
MD/PHD STUDENTS
1,002
RESIDENTS & FELLOWS
402
GRADUATE STUDENTS
June
President’s Outstanding Service Award is given to Anna Wirta Kosobuski, EdD, for her commitment to developing community-based science programs and for mentoring students to ensure that Native American people are represented in the next generation of scientists and healthcare providers.
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