Jennifer R. Grandis

Head of the Class

Jennifer R. Grandis, MD, is a Professor at the University of California, San Francisco, in the Department of Otolaryngology—Head and Neck Surgery, and Associate Vice Chancellor—Clinical and Translational Research. As a trained physician, with specialties in surgery and infectious disease, she provides a unique understanding of the mechanisms that mediate head and neck (H&N) cancers.

As an investigator, her studies have been influential in defining the signal transduction pathways in the development and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Her clinical expertise and emphasis on molecular characterization have been instrumental for the development of preclinical models of disease, predictive biomarkers, and novel therapeutic approaches, all of which have culminated into translational and clinical benefit for patients.

Dr. Grandis is a highly active member of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and has previously served on the Board of Directors and in the capacity of course director, program chair, and member of many selection committees. On a number of occasions she has been invited to give lectures at national and international AACR meetings. She has contributed numerous peer-reviewed articles and currently serves as an Editorial Board Member or Scientific/Deputy Editor for many of the journals in the AACR family.

A selection of recent articles by Dr. Grandis and published in the AACR family of journals is provided below:

• Proteomic Characterization of Head and Neck Cancer Patient-Derived Xenografts.
  Li H, Wheeler S, Park YS, Ju Z, Thomas SM, Fichera M, et al. Mol Cancer Res March 2016.
• Genomic Analysis of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines and Human Tumors: A Rational Approach to Preclinical Model Selection.
  Li H, Wawrose JS, Gooding WE, Garraway LA, Lui VW, Peyser ND, et al. Mol Cancer Res April 2014.
• Therapeutic Insights from Genomic Studies of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas.
  Hammerman PS, Hayes DN, Grandis JR. Cancer Discov March 2015.
• Increased Expression of HER2, HER3, and HER2:HER3 Heterodimers in HPV-Positive HNSCC Using a Novel Proximity-Based Assay: Implications for Targeted Therapies.
  Pollock NI, Wang L, Wallweber G, Gooding WE, Huang W, Chenna A, et al. Clin Cancer Res October 2015.
• Therapeutic Insights from Genomic Studies of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinomas.
  Peter S. Hammerman, D. Neil Hayes, and Jennifer R. Grandis. Clin Cancer Res March 2015.