Naveena Basa Janakiram, Ph.D.

Naveena B. Janakiram, PhD, serves as a Program Director at the Translational Research Program within the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis at the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She manages Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPOREs) focused on ovarian, endometrial, cervical and breast cancer and is also a member of the Uterine Serous Cancer and PDX Models Working Group. Dr. Janakiram earned her Ph.D. in Microbiology in India before moving to the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC) in Oklahoma City for postdoctoral research training. She later advanced to the position of Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at the Stephenson Cancer Center at OUHSC. Over her 12 years of experience in translational research for drug development, Dr. Janakiram has developed scientific and technical expertise in colon, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers. Her specific focus has been on understanding the immune modulation, inflammation, and molecular changes that occur during the initiation and progression of cancer to identify specific immune cell functions and genes that serve as promising targets for drug development to inhibit tumor growth and spread. Additionally, her research has addressed the modulation of immune mechanisms related to T cells, NK cells, and NKT cells in the context of colon and pancreatic carcinogenesis. Dr. Janakiram has also worked as a Research Physiologist at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and as an Associate Professor in the Department of Surgery at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda. She has published over 55 peer-reviewed research articles and four book chapters.