Lukas Chavez, PhD, associate professor in the Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys, has been named a standing member of the Cancer Genetics Study Section at the National Institutes of Health.
Study sections are groups of invited experts from across the country who are tasked with assessing the scientific merits of grant applications. Their reviews are a major influence in the NIH’s decisions about which proposed research projects to fund.
Jayanta Bhattacharya, MD, PhD, director of the NIH, invited Chavez to join the cancer genetics study section because of his “demonstrated competence and achievement in his scientific discipline as evidenced by the quality of his research accomplishments, publications in scientific journals and other significant scientific activities, achievements, and honors.”
Chavez studies pediatric brain cancer and specifically, the role of extrachromosomal DNA as a driver of aggressive tumors. His study section term begins immediately and runs through June 30, 2029.