Rhoda M. Alani, MD

Professor, Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

Biography

Rhoda M. Alani, MD is Professor of Dermatology at Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine and Boston Medical Center, and previously served as the Herbert Mescon Professor and Chair of Dermatology, from 2010-2024. She received her MD degree with Honors and Distinction in Research from the University of Michigan and completed her internship in internal medicine at Yale-New Haven Hospital and a residency in dermatology at Harvard Medical School. From 1999-2009 Dr. Alani was the Director of the Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology and Director of the Melanoma and Pigmented Lesion Clinics in Dermatology at Johns Hopkins.

Dr. Alani’s research focus is in understanding the molecular basis of melanoma development and progression with the aim of translating her laboratory findings to better prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of melanoma. Dr. Alani is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Societies, the American Academy of Dermatology, the Society for Investigative Dermatology, the American Association for Cancer Research and was elected to the American Society for Clinical Investigation in 2005. She is the author of numerous scientific publications and is the owner of several US patents related to melanoma biomarkers, novel melanoma therapies, and imaging systems for improved melanoma detection

Publications

  • Published 3/24/2025

    Soukar I, Fisher RJ, Bhagavatula S, Collard M, Cole PA, Alani RM. The CoREST complex is a therapeutic vulnerability in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 24; 15(1):10128. PMID: 40128216.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 12/12/2024

    Fisher RJ, Park K, Lee K, Pinjusic K, Vanasse A, Ennis CS, Ficcaro S, Marto J, Stransky S, Duke-Cohan J, Geethadevi A, Raabe E, Sidoli S, Hicks CW, Keskin DB, Wu CJ, Cole PA, Alani RM. CoREST Complex Inhibition Alters RNA Splicing to Promote Neoantigen Expression and Enhance Tumor Immunity. bioRxiv. 2024 Dec 12. PMID: 39713349.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/19/2024

    Soukar I, Fisher R, Bhagavatula S, Collard M, Cole PA, Alani RM. The CoREST complex is a therapeutic vulnerability in malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. bioRxiv. 2024 Aug 19. PMID: 39229179.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 8/1/2024

    Waddell A, Grbic N, Leibowitz K, Wyant WA, Choudhury S, Park K, Collard M, Cole PA, Alani RM. p300 KAT Regulates SOX10 Stability and Function in Human Melanoma. Cancer Res Commun. 2024 Aug 01; 4(8):1894-1907. PMID: 38994683.

    Read at: PubMed

  • Published 7/14/2024

    Almier N, Leibowitz K, Gower AC, To S, Keller MR, Connizzo BK, Roh DS, Alani RM, Collard M. Targeting the Epigenome Reduces Keloid Fibroblast Cell Proliferation, Migration, and Invasion. J Invest Dermatol. 2025 Feb; 145(2):411-422.e7. PMID: 39009280.

    Read at: PubMed

View All 105 Publications:   View Full Profile in BUMC

Other Positions

  • Professor, Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
  • Member, BU-BMC Cancer Center
    Boston University
  • Member, Genome Science Institute
    Boston University
  • Graduate Faculty (Primary Mentor of Grad Students)
    Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Graduate Medical Sciences

Websites

Education

  • University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, MD
  • Stony Brook University, BS

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