OCG Contacts and Help

The Division of Cancer Biology, Office of Cancer Genomics staff are available to answer questions about our programs and resources. Guidance on who to contact is provided under Getting Help. For cancer-related questions, please visit the NCI Contact Center.

Staff Listing

Liming Yang, Ph.D.

OCG Team Lead
Genome Characterization Centers
(GCC) Program Director

Melissa Porter, M.S.
Director of Operations

Samantha Caesar-Johnson, M.S. Genome Data Analysis Network (GDAN) Program Manager	Cathy Collins Program Support
John A. Demchok, M.S. Clinical Data Quality Manager	Martin Ferguson, Ph.D. External Consultant
Cindy W. Kyi, Ph.D. Human Cancer Models Initiative (HCMI) Program Manager	Roya Rafiee, BSN., M.Sc., Ph.D. Cancer Target Discovery and Development (CTD²) Program Manager
David Sturgill, Ph.D. Genomic Data Commons (GDC) Program Manager	Roy Tarnuzzer, Ph.D. Biospecimen Core Resource (BCR) Program Director

Getting Help with OCG Programs

Various team members of programs run by Office of Cancer Genomics (OCG) are available to answer further questions about the center's program and data. Please keep in mind:

OCG cannot share samples or analytes from TCGA, TARGET, or any other programs with any external entities.
OCG program staff do not provide help with bioinformatics or guidance on independent research projects that use data generated by OCG programs.

Program Questions

Questions about how a particular program was administered, including sample intake, analyte production, molecular characterization, and generation of cell models may be directed to OCG’s general email or specific program managers. Questions about navigating HCMI’s searchable catalog, the CTD² Data Dashboard and Data Portal may also be directed to OCG’s general email.

Email: NCICCGenomics@mail.nih.gov

Data Questions

CTD^₂ Network researchers generate functional genomics data that is available via the CTD^₂ Dashboard and Data Portal. Questions on specific data sets may be directed to the specific researchers who generated and submitted the data.

Sequencing and other molecular characterization data generated by OCG programs is available through NCI's Genomic Data Commons (GDC). Assistance with locating and gaining access to data, understanding data processing performed by the GDC, and using GDC's Data Portal and other resources may be directed to GDC's helpdesk.

Email: support@nci-gdc.datacommons.io

Controlled access to molecular data is managed by the NIH Database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGaP). For problems accessing controlled access data, users should visit dbGaP’s FAQ page or contact the dbGaP helpdesk.

Other Ways to Find Information

Program-specific questions may be directed to appropriate OCG staff. TCGA program-related questions may also be directed to NHGRI Program Staff.

TCGA and other OCG programs are not currently accepting patient samples. More about donating biospecimens and other options for contributing to cancer research.

Questions related to patient information or treatment should be directed to a medical doctor. For cancer-related information, visit NCI's Contact Center.