As the Director for the NCI Division of Cancer Biology (DCB), Dr. Gallahan is part of the senior leadership team that helps NCI staff carry out its mission, especially in the area of basic cancer research.
Through his leadership, he also helps DCB identify, enable, and promote impactful cancer biology research.
Research Programs
Dr. Gallahan supports DCB Research Programs and also co-chairs an NIH Common Fund Program:
Background
Dr. Gallahan has enjoyed a long history with the NCI, initially as an intramural researcher focusing on the utilization of model systems to help understand the role of genetic alterations in breast cancer and the role of human papillomaviruses in cancer. He also spent time outside the government in private industry to explore the commercial and applied side of research, helping to establish a molecular diagnostic test.
In the NCI extramural community, he has been responsible for the establishment of many important programs and scientific innovations having direct impact on new knowledge and cancer advances, such as the STAMP Out Breast Cancer Program, Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies (IMAT) initiative, and the Integrative Cancer Biology Program (ICBP).
In his relentless pursuit of innovation and desire for a better understanding of cancer, he has worked both at an individual level and at an organizational level, advancing quickly to become the Deputy Director of DCB and, following an international search, becoming the Director of the division in 2019.