Odyssey Program
Mission
The Odyssey Program sponsors outstanding postdoctoral fellows who wish to pursue innovative cancer research at MD Anderson. Its mission:
- To support the training and research efforts of scientists at the beginning of their careers
- To encourage scientists to explore novel areas of clinical, translational, basic or population-based cancer research
- To give participants the opportunity to take advantage of the resources offered by the institution
The Odyssey Program consists of the Odyssey Fellowship Program and the Outstanding Research Publication Award. The Odyssey Fellowship Program supports the training and research efforts of dedicated scientists at the beginning of their career, while the Outstanding Research Publication is an award given yearly to recognize the achievements of postdoctoral fellows for work accomplished at the MD Anderson Cancer Center. The Odyssey Fellowship Program receive a maximum of three years of support for salaries and other expenses. They work at MD Anderson in a stimulating environment that helps them prepare for successful careers in cancer research.
Odyssey Program Advisory Committee
Proposals are reviewed and scored by the Odyssey Program Advisory Committee.
Members for 2021 are as follows (listed in the order they joined the committee):
- Jian Hu, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Cancer Biology, Co-Chair
- Mark Pagel, Ph.D., Professor and Deputy Chair, Cancer Systems Imaging
- Laurence E. Court, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Radiation Physics
- James Bankson, Ph.D., Professor, Imaging Physics
- Michael Curran, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Immunology
- Alexandre Reuben, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Thoracic Head and Neck Medical Oncology
- Sangeeta Goswami, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Genitourinary Medical Oncology
- Guang Peng, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor, Clinical Cancer Prevention - Research, Co-Chair
- Di Zhou, Ph.D.,Assistant Professor, Department of Experimental Radiation Oncology
- Hoaqiang Ying, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular and Cellular Oncology
Committee members serve for three years. Additional faculty may be requested as necessary to participate in the applications review process.
Annual Symposium
The Odyssey Symposium is held each June at MD Anderson. All Odyssey fellows are expected to participate in the symposium.
Contact Information
Nancy Strange
Program Coordinator
713-792-2552
ndstrange@mdanderson.org
Marites P. Melancon, Ph.D.
Director, Odyssey Program
713-794-5387
mmelancon@mdanderson.org
Odyssey Fellows Retreat
Dr. Peter Pisters with participants in the 2018 Odyssey Fellowship Retreat
Dr. Jessica Galloway-Pena and Dr. Alicia Blessing Bollu at the 2018 Odyssey Fellowship Retreat.
Spencer Wei, Ph.D., receives the Odyssey Fellow Award for his presentation.
Wei-Lei Yang, Ph.D., receives the Odyssey Fellow Award for his presentation.