Welcome to the University of Illinois Cancer Center's central resource for Cancer Center members and prospective members. Explore membership information, research support, funding opportunities, education and training programs, clinical research resources, and key contacts across the Cancer Center.
The Cancer Center is part of the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) and UI Health, UIC's academic health enterprise. The Cancer Center aims to stimulate cancer-related academic and clinical research across all schools and departments on the UIC campus, as well as at regional campuses in Rockford and Peoria.
The Cancer Center defines its catchment area as Cook County, which includes Chicago. This area is home to 5.1 million people – more than 40% of Illinois’ population. Cook County is a conglomerate of communities, and many areas and populations are designated as Medically Underserved by the federal government.
The Cancer Center Director is Jan Kitajewski, PhD, Sweeney Professor and Head of the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at UIC.
The Director is supported by a dedicated team of scientific and administrative leaders.
The Cancer Center is organized into three research programs based on member expertise and the breadth and depth of transdisciplinary research.
They are:
Working Groups and Think Tanks bring together Cancer Center members with shared research interests to collaborate, exchange ideas and build new research partnerships.
Areas of focus include:
Explore Working Groups and Think Tanks
The Cancer Center includes more than 250 academic cancer researchers from over 36 departments and eight colleges across UIC. Membership options are available to both faculty members and cancer-focused trainees.
The Cancer Center offers students, trainees, and fellows the opportunity to become Trainee Members. This membership provides access to vital educational and training resources that support the professional development of emerging health science professionals, empowering them to become future leaders in cancer research and healthcare. Trainees who are mentored or engaged in cancer-related research are eligible to apply.
Cancer Center student and trainee programs are structured by education level. The Cancer Center also offers assistance and exclusive career development activities for early-career faculty engaged in clinical, basic, and population sciences research.
The Cancer Center is deeply committed to the success of its members and provides a wide range of resources to foster innovative research.
Leadership and the administrative team support collaboration, mentoring, grant writing and editing, clinical trial development, and access to pilot funding opportunities. Through this collaborative environment, the Cancer Center helps junior faculty secure their first R01-level funding while supporting professional development through institutional initiatives and Cancer Center programs.
Research development services include:
Cancer Center members’ research is supported by shared resources that are fully or partially supported by the Cancer Center.
Cancer Center Shared Resources include:
Additionally, Cancer Center members have access to institutional shared resources through the UIC Office of Research.
Donald Vander Griend, PhD
Associate Director, Shared Resources
Email: dvanderg@uic.edu
The Cancer Center uses an innovative “Community to Bench” model that centers the community in cutting-edge cancer research and promotes excellence in precision oncology.
Community-focused activities are managed by the Community Engagement and Health Excellence (CEHE) Office, which serves as the operational arm of the Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) Core within the Cancer Center.
The COE activities include:
To facilitate catchment-relevant research, COE offers community-academic networking, incubates community-engaged basic and translational science, and facilitates responsive clinical trials in FQHCs and safety-net systems. The CEHE Office provides services such as staff recruitment, data collection, intervention delivery, data analysis, pilot funding for community partnerships and research projects through the Hope Leaders program, patient advocates for proposal reviews, and study teams, among others.
Explore Community Engagement and Partnerships
Email: cancerengagement@uic.edu
The Cancer Center has a robust infrastructure to support cancer-focused clinical research, led by its Clinical Trials Office (CTO). The CTO supports clinical investigators in developing and implementing cancer clinical trials, facilitating high-quality clinical research that improves patient lives while maintaining the highest standards of regulatory compliance.
The CTO includes 11 multidisciplinary disease teams that ensure all proposed interventional studies are operationally feasible, do not overlap with existing studies and align with the priorities and patient base of the Cancer Center.
The multidisciplinary disease teams are:
Email: cancertrials@uic.edu
The Cancer Center website and newsletter provide a curated lists of cancer-related funding opportunities for members. Additionally, members have access to intramural funding opportunities provided by the Cancer Center.
The Cancer Center’s advancement team proactively builds and maintains relationships with private funders, including foundations, corporate partners, and individuals to secure philanthropic funding.
They partner with Cancer Center members to offer services that include:
| Department | Services | Contact | Resources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community Outreach and Engagement (COE) Office | Community-engaged research support | Dedra Ries, MPH dturne1@uic.edu |
|
| Cancer Research Training and Education Coordination (CRTEC) | Training and career development support | Beverly Chukwudozie, MBA, MPH iabado2@uic.edu |
|
| Clinical Trials Office (CTO) | Protocol review and study management services | Darlene Kitterman, MBA dkitt@uic.edu | |
| Shared Resources | Instrumentation, methodology and expertise access | Donald Vander Griend, PhD dvanderg@uic.edu | |
| Research Development | Securing funding support | Farah Mirza, MBA fmirza@uic.edu | |
| Regulatory Office | IRB submissions and protocol development | Erica Seltzer, DrPH eseltzer@uic.edu | Resources forthcoming |
| Development Office | Philanthropic funds and fundraising | Jane Erb jerb2@uic.edu | |
| Research Operations | Pre- and post-award support | Rocio Bueno, MPA, CRA rbueno2@uic.edu | Resources forthcoming |
| Marketing and Communications | Branding, digital platforms, and internal and external communications | Deanna Bellandi, MPH dbella3@uic.edu | |
| Administrative Support | All administrative functions | Ahlam Al-Kodmany, PhD ryyan@uic.edu | Resources forthcoming |
GENERAL INFORMATION
818 South Wolcott Avenue
Chicago, IL 60612
