Matthew Ringel, MD, receives 2026 Distinguished Scholar Award

Matthew Ringel, MD, often credits his accomplishments as a specialist in thyroid cancer to surrounding himself with superb colleagues, students, staff and trainees. But his talent and innovative work bridging disciplines in the cancer field have influenced his receiving the 2026 Distinguished Scholar Award, one of the highest annual honors given for scholarly activity at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

Dr. Ringel’s development of novel models and personalized therapeutic approaches has led to a deeper understanding of how thyroid cancer spreads and should be managed. Work in his laboratory, funded by the National Institutes of Health, has defined signaling pathways that regulate thyroid cancer progression and therapeutic resistance and has identified predisposing genes for thyroid cancer. His research focuses on:

• Molecular mechanisms involved in thyroid cancer invasion and metastasis, with an interest in new drug testing for thyroid cancer therapy. 
• Developing novel treatment for patients in his active clinical practice. 
• Bringing together interdisciplinary scientists and faculty from six different departments and three different colleges to set new standards for how thyroid cancer is understood and managed. 

In addition to serving as the founding chair for the Department of Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Dr. Ringel is the deputy director for basic research in The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, and is co-director of the Center for Cancer Engineering – Curing Cancer Through Research in Engineering and Sciences. Award nominees are nominated by their departments, and the award recipients are chosen by a committee of senior faculty. Recipients receive an honorarium and a research grant to be used over the next three years. Congratulations to Dr. Ringel for this prestigious recognition and for his leadership in scientific research.