Dr Mehrotra Endowed Chair

Shikhar Mehrotra, Ph.D., associate professor of Surgery, has been appointed to the Cecilia and Vincent Peng Endowed Chair in Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology.

Mehrotra, who has been with the department of Surgery at MUSC since 2006, focuses his research on understanding T-cell signaling and metabolic pathways to improve strategies for cancer immunotherapy. The Cecilia and Vincent Peng Endowed Chair in Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology, held by the Department of Dermatology and Hollings Cancer Center, will provide financial resources to advance his research that will make a difference in the lives of future cancer patients.

In addition to his prolific research in cancer immunotherapy, Mehrotra serves the medical university in several leadership roles. Mehrotra is co-leader of the Cancer Immunology program at Hollings Cancer Center, a role he will share with Sophie Paczesny, M.D., Ph.D. when she joins MUSC on July 1, 2020. In this newly-appointed leadership role, Mehrotra plans to increase awareness of the cutting-edge immunotherapy developments happening at Hollings Cancer Center and nurture collaborations to move innovative ideas forward.

He is also the co-scientific director of the Center for Cellular Therapy at MUSC, an FDA registered cGMP level facility that meets the most rigorous standards in the aspect of processing of cells. The CCT’s capabilities range from immunomonitoring of patient samples to manufacturing of cellular products for immunotherapy and provides a valuable resource to advancing immunotherapy research at MUSC.

Dr. Mehrotra completed his Ph.D. in Immunology in India and post-doctoral fellowship at University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, CT.