Dr. Scott Jewell, Dr. Jianfeng Xu, Dr. Matthew Steensma, and Dan Rohrer join staff; Dr. Thomas J. Haas joins VAI Graduate School Board
Grand Rapids, Mich. (August 27, 2010) – Van Andel Institute (VAI) announces four new staff members: Dr. Scott Jewell, Director of the Program for Biospecimen Science, Dr. Jianfeng Xu, Director of the Program for Genetic Epidemiology, Dr. Matthew Steensma, Scientific Investigator and head of the Laboratory of Musculoskeletal Oncology, and Dan Rohrer, Operations Director for the Program for Biospecimen Science. The Institute also welcomes Dr. Thomas J. Haas as a new member of the VAI Graduate School Board of Directors.
Dr. Jewell has been appointed Director of the newly established inter-institutional Program for Biospecimen Science (PBS) and as Senior Scientific Investigator across both Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) and the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). Dr. Jewell will focus on the development and improvement of best practices for biospecimen collection, processing, storage and distribution through biospecimen research. Dr. Jewell most recently served at Ohio State University (OSU) as Director for the Human Tissue Resource Network and as Associate Director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center's Biorepository and Biospecimen Resource.
Dr. Xu has been appointed Director of the newly established inter-institutional Program for Genetic Epidemiology (PGE) and as Senior Scientific Investigator across both VARI and TGen. At VARI, Dr. Xu will also serve as Director of the Center for Cancer Epidemiology and will have a leadership role in the establishment of initiatives that will broaden the scope of research within VARI, including the development of international collaborations and partnerships. Dr. Xu will hold joint appointments at both VARI and his current home institution, Wake Forest University (WFU) School of Medicine. At WFU, Dr. Xu serves as Director, Program for Genetic and Molecular Epidemiology of Cancer and as Associate Director, Center for Human Genomics. Dr. Xu's research focuses on the genetic epidemiology of complex diseases including cancer, asthma, and cardiovascular diseases. He is the principal investigator for several prostate cancer genetic studies and leads a group in prostate cancer genetic research.
Dr. Steensma has been appointed Scientific Investigator in the Center for Skeletal Disease Research at VARI. He will head the Laboratory of Musculoskeletal Oncology at VARI, which will function as part of a broad institutional commitment towards developing new treatment strategies for sarcomas. Dr. Steensma will also initiate and maintain an active clinical program at Spectrum Health focused on the treatment of orthopaedic-associated malignancies, such as sarcomas, and will serve as Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery in the Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine. Prior to joining VARI, Dr. Steensma was admitted into the prestigious fellowship program in Musculoskeletal Surgical Oncology in the Department of Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York where he obtained sub-specialty training in surgical and clinical techniques associated with the treatment of sarcomas and other orthopaedic-associated malignancies.
Rohrer will be working with Dr. Jewell as Operations Director for the PBS. Rohrer most recently served as PCO Coordinator for OSU's Department of Pathology and for the Leukemia Group B (CALGB) Pathology Coordinating Office (PCO). He has played a critical role in the oversight and management of the PCO for the CALGB and has extensive experience in protocol development, budget development and monitoring, and resource management. Additionally, Rohrer brings to VARI a strong background in sample retrieval, processing, handling and distribution.
Dr. Haas is currently President of Grand Valley State University (GVSU) as well as a professor of chemistry. Just prior to his appointment in 2006, Haas was president of the State University of New York Cobleskill. He is an honors graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy and retired as a captain in 1996.
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About Van Andel Institute
Established by Jay and Betty Van Andel in 1996, Van Andel Institute (VAI) is an independent research and educational organization based in Grand Rapids, Mich., dedicated to preserving, enhancing and expanding the frontiers of medical science, and to achieving excellence in education by probing fundamental issues of education and the learning process. VARI, the research arm of VAI, is dedicated to probing the genetic, cellular and molecular origins of cancer, Parkinson and other diseases and working to translate those findings into effective therapies. This is accomplished through the work of over 200 researchers in 18 on-site laboratories and in collaborative partnerships that span the globe. VARI is affiliated with the Translational Genomics Research Institute, (TGen), of Phoenix, Arizona.
