Meet the mentors
In addition to his role as associate director for cancer research training and education, Dr. Sarkar is a Professor in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics. His research is funded by NCI, NIDDK and NINDS and focuses on understanding the molecular mechanism of fatty liver disease and liver cancer and developing novel therapy. He also studies mechanisms of racial disparity in liver cancer. He has mentored many junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate, undergraduate and high school students. Trainees working with him will gain expertise related to in-depth molecular mechanisms, mouse modeling and preclinical therapeutic studies with a focus on Black/AA patients with liver cancer.
Dr. Bottinor is an assistant professor in the Department of Internal Medicine. She is a board-certified cardiologist with GME accredited advanced fellowship training in Cardio-Oncology. She completed a Cardio-Oncology Fellowship and a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She led the Cardio-Oncology Program at VCU, the only program in the state designated as a Center of Excellence by the International Cardio-Oncology Society. She has expertise in echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging. Her goal is to reduce morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease among childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer survivors by conducting clinical trials.
Dr. Findlay is an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery. Prior to joining VCU, she served as Director of the Graduate Training Program in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina. Dr. Findlay currently serves as the co-leader for Massey’s Cancer Prevention and Control Program. Her NCI-funded research is on early life factors (e.g., dietary quality) and their effect on mammary development during puberty and how they relate to increased breast cancer risk. She is a translational scientist with expertise in identifying biological risk factors that may contribute to cancer and cancer disparities, notably in breast and prostate cancers.
Dr. Fuemmeler is a Professor and the Gordon D. Ginder, M.D. Chair in Cancer Research, the associate director of population sciences, and the founder and scientific advisor for the Health Communication and Digital Innovation Shared Resource. Dr. Fuemmeler’s research in cancer prevention takes a life-course approach toward understanding the biological and social factors contributing to the onset of cancer related health behaviors that generate the most risk (e.g., obesity, tobacco use, physical inactivity).Trainees in his laboratory work on geospatial analysis of neighborhood characteristics related to secondhand smoke exposure and adolescent vaping/tobacco use, secondary data examining cancer risk factors, social media and cancer communication, and emerging projects examining cancer risk among firefighters and neighborhood factors associated with cancer outcomes among Black/AA American and rural cancer survivors.
Dr. Nana-Sinkam is a Professor and Chair of the Division of Pulmonary Disease and Critical Care Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine. His laboratory focuses on integrating both genomic and proteomic platforms to discover new biomarkers for the diagnosis, treatment and surveillance of tobacco related lung diseases, including cancer. Dr. Nana-Sinkam has had an interest in mentoring and faculty development throughout his career and currently serves as the associate director for the KL2 Career Development and Mentoring program within the VCU Wright Center for Clinical and Translational Research. He has an active collaboration with Dr. Winn on their funded NCI P20 feasibility and planning cancer health disparities SPORE grant. Training opportunities with Dr. Nana-Sinkam includes learning about epigenetics and new biomarkers that are useful for understanding tobacco-related lung cancer.
Dr. Sutton is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and an affiliate faculty in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at VCU. She also serves as the assistant director of Community Outreach and Engagement at VCU Massey. She is a trained community-engaged and cancer disparities researcher, receiving her training through an NCI-funded T32 program in cancer prevention and control. In her role as assistant director, Dr. Sutton oversees outreach efforts focused on engaging faith communities and facilitating screening and navigation throughout Massey’s catchment area. Dr. Sutton has expertise in employing community-engaged approaches in research focused on addressing racial disparities in breast cancer prevention and survivorship. Currently, she is the Principal Investigator of the Cancer Advocacy and Research for Equity in Survivorship laboratory, funded in part by an NCI K99/R00.