BUMC Faculty Promotions – June 2022
Associate Professor
Joshua Campbell, PhD, BUSM, Medicine/Computational Biomedicine, has established his lab as one of the leading computational genomics groups developing novel algorithms and software to address unmet needs across a variety of cancers. His group has developed novel statistical methods to identify transcriptional modules in single-cell RNA-seq data and mutational signatures in cancer genomic data, which has led to R21, R01 and U01 funding in collaboration with several other groups across the University. Dr. Campbell serves as the co-director of the department of medicine’s Single Cell Core, which provides data analysis services for investigators with single-cell data. Within the NCI’s Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN), he is contributing to the Lung Pre-Cancer Atlas and identifying molecular alterations that are responsible for initiation and progression of lung premalignant lesions. He leads a cross-center HTAN working group to develop data standards for single-cell RNA-seq that can be used by the research community. His translational research also includes characterization of prostate cancer where he is identifying mutational events and cell states that may contribute to disparities in outcomes in African American populations.
Naomi Y. Ko, MD, MPH, AM, BUSM, Medicine/Hematology & Oncology, specializes in breast cancer clinical care and research, with a particular focus on cancer disparities, and is the co-Director of the breast cancer program at Boston Medical Center (BMC). Dr. Ko’s research includes health services, translational, and epidemiological studies, all focused on health equity. Most notably, Dr. Ko recently received an R01 grant as co-PI to study disparities in triple negative breast cancer. Over the years she has received funding both as principal investigator and co-investigator, playing a key role as BMC’s site lead investigator on numerous grants, as well as several cancer clinical trials. She is known nationally for her dedication to equity and frequently invited to speak on the complexity of breast cancer disparities. Dr. Ko is also the recipient of several clinical excellence awards, including the national Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine award.
Karsten Lunze, MD, MPH, DrPH, BUSM, Medicine/General Internal Medicine, is a global health expert who has pioneered evidence-based, behavioral interventions to help people with HIV, addictions and other socially disadvantaged conditions cope with stigma as a barrier to quality care. He co-directs the Boston-Providence CFAR Substance Use Research Core and is a teacher and mentor to many graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and early-career faculty. Dr. Lunze applies rigorous quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods in clinical sciences and population health. His research has used a broad methodological spectrum to optimize clinical processes and thus population health, including pharmacological and behavioral intervention studies of various designs, clinical health services research, implementation science, policy and human rights analyses, program evaluations, ethical analyses and more. In partnerships with communities of people with lived experiences and civil society organizations in Eastern Europe, Central and Southeast Asia, he has geographically and methodologically extended BU’s existing expertise and global networks to better serve vulnerable populations worldwide.
Clinical Associate Professor
Alan Malabanan, MD, BUSM, Medicine/Endocrinology, is a clinician educator who specializes in metabolic bone diseases and osteoporosis. He was recruited back to BMC/BUSM in 2021 to serve as director of the Bone Health Clinic, including oversight of the Bone Density Program. In these roles, he will restructure the clinical and educational programs in bone disorders, including developing service lines with orthopedics, geriatrics and rheumatology. He also will serve as section quality director, as well as the quality projects of second-year fellows.