Speakers and panelists will be added as they are confirmed.
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Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science
Consultant, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
Dr. McNiven joined the staff of Mayo Clinic in 1989. He is jointly appointed in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, where he served as chair from 2000 to 2011. He is recognized with the distinction of the George M. Eisenberg Professorship.
Dr. McNiven’s laboratory focuses on the molecular basis by which tumor cells grow unchecked and migrate from the primary organ to invade and metastasize into distal sites. In addition, his program studies the cellular basis by which cells of the liver can become laden with fat leading to steatohepatitis, metabolic diseases and cancer. He is co-principal investigator of the Hepatobiliary Cancer SPORE (Specialized Program of Research Excellence).
His research is funded by the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. His work has been published in prominent peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Cell Biology, Developmental Cell, Nature Cell Biology, Hepatology, Nature Genetics, Trends in Cellular Biology, Molecular Biology of the Cell, Gastroenterology, Cancer Research, and Science. In recognition of his work, Dr. McNiven has received numerous awards and honors, including the Dean’s Recognition Award, conferred by Mayo Clinic; and the NIH Merit Award, conferred by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health. He has also been recognized as a Distinguished Mayo Investigator.
Dr. McNiven is active in teaching and mentoring and holds full faculty privileges in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Neurosciences at Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. He serves on many national and international advisory boards and committees.
- Lewis Roberts, M.B., Ch.B., Ph.D., has clinical and research interests in the molecular mechanisms of liver and biliary tract cancers; biomarkers for diagnosis of liver, biliary and pancreas cancers; and prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis and hepatobiliary cancers, with a particular interest in populations of African descent. He has extensive expertise in the diagnosis and multidisciplinary management of benign and malignant liver masses, including hepatic adenomas, hepatocellular carcinomas, bile duct cancers and gallbladder cancers. Dr. Roberts is a professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. He is the Peter and Frances Georgeson Professor of Gastroenterology Cancer Research. Dr. Roberts has authored more than 500 publications and has mentored over 230 students, fellows and faculty. He serves as president of Africa Partners Medical, a non-profit organization focused on improving healthcare in Africa, the Africa Institute for Liver and Digestive Diseases Foundation, and the Africa Hepatopancreatobiliary Cancer Consortium.