The Department of Cancer Biology and Genetics was established in 1968 as one of six basic science departments in the Ohio State University College of Medicine.

The mission of the department is threefold:

• To conduct research in basic and applied microbiology, immunology and genetics for the purposes of understanding the mechanisms of disease initiation and progression as well as the mechanisms involved in the control of disease processes
• To train graduate, post-graduate and professional students in the disciplines of microbiology, immunology and genetics
• To provide professional service for the general benefit of the life science community and society as it relates to faculty expertise

Below, the three sections of our central mission are explored in more detail.

The research mission of the department is for faculty to engage in basic, translational or applied research that will generate new knowledge pertinent to their professional discipline. Faculty will be responsible for the funding of their research programs through grant support, patent royalties or other mechanisms, and will disseminate knowledge acquired from their research through timely publication and other scholarly endeavors. An important part of the research mission of the department is the instruction of undergraduate, graduate, post-graduate and professional students in the conduct and methodology of research.

The educational mission is to strive for excellence in the teaching of basic and applied aspects of microbiology, immunology, and genetics to graduate and professional students. The graduate education mission encompasses research training of master’s and doctorate students, i.e., providing experienced mentors, state-of-the-art laboratory facilities and curricula which will prepare students for careers in contemporary microbiology, immunology, genetics and other related fields.

The service mission is to provide professional service through dissemination of knowledge to the biomedical community and to the citizens of Ohio. Professional service also involves service rendered to national agencies in the areas of grant reviewing, journal reviewing and service to professional societies.

For more information about scientific areas of research such as human cancer genetics at Ohio State, check out the Molecular Biology and Cancer Genetics (MBCG) research program.