ICARE Leadership
Program Directors: Jon Houtman, PhD and Andrean Simons-Burnett, PhD
ICARE selection committee receives input from:
- American Cancer Society regional representative
- Current graduate students or postdoctoral research scholars from diverse backgrounds
- Faculty members from broad research backgrounds
- Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center leadership
"I look forward to individualized career coaching for each ICARE fellow where I will advise on career options, review application materials, and provide letters of support. I look forward to building a mentoring relationship with each fellow to support them as they begin their journey into the scientific workforce. Both as the Associate Director of Career Enhancement at Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and as a member of many admissions committees, I have been involved at multiple levels with diverse trainees including teaching, mentoring, advising, and program administration."
-- Jon Houtman, PhD, ICARE Co-Director and Principal Investigator
"As the Associate Director of Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, I focus on fostering a collective sense of engagement, affirmation, and belonging as the foundation of the work we do. I have a long-term commitment in supporting the next generation of diverse scientists – this is an area I’ve invested my time in for the past 15 years.”
-- Andrean Simons-Burnett, PhD, ICARE Co-Director
ICARE Advisory Team
Along with the two ICARE Co-Directors, ICARE has an Advisory Team with varied backgrounds who provide monthly career coaching for ICARE fellows so they receive broad advice, perspectives, and experiences as they navigate their next paths forward. The ICARE Advisory Team consists of:
- Jon Houtman, PhD, ICARE Director
- Andrean Simons-Burnett, PhD, ICARE Co-Director
- Adam Mailloux, PhD
- Claudia Mello-Thoms, PhD
- Erin Talbert, PhD
- Tina Tootle, PhD
- Kristina Thiel, PhD
- Whitney Zahnd, PhD
ICARE Mentors
ICARE participants have the opportunity to work with mentors from across Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center including:
- Songhai Chen, MD, PhD (Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Pharmacology)
- Sanjana Dayal, PhD (Associate Professor of Internal Medicine)
- Jessica Gorzelitz, PhD (Assistant Professor of Health and Human Physiology)
- Corinne Griguer, PhD (Professor of Radiation Oncology)
- Isabella Grumbach, MD, PhD (Professor of Internal Medicine-Cardiovascular Medicine)
- Michael Henry, PhD (Professor of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics)
- Michelle Howard, PhD (Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology)
- Miles Pufall, PhD (Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
- Dawn Quelle, PhD (Professor of Neuroscience and Pharmacology)
- Andrean Simons-Burnett, PhD (Associate Professor of Radiation Oncology)
- Erin Talbert, PhD (Assistant Professor of Health and Human Physiology)
- Tina Tootle, PhD (Professor of Biology)
- Li Wu, PhD (Professor, Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology)
- Cathy Yea Won Song, PhD (Assistant Professor of Biology)
These faculty members support the participants in a project that aligns with their general area of cancer interest and provides direct experience with the scientific process. The participants develop a formal oral presentation of their research project to present at a seminar and a poster to present at the annual HCCC Scientific Retreat.
2023-2025 ICARE Fellows
ICARE fellows joining Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center from summer 2023 to summer 2025 include (pictured, left to right):
2024-2026 ICARE Fellows
ICARE fellows joining Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center from summer 2024 to summer 2026 include (pictured, left to right):