Rodgers takes on new leadership role at Whiddon COM

Alani Rodgers, M.Ed.

Alani Rodgers, M.Ed., has been appointed assistant director of the Office of Research Education and Training (ORET) at the Whiddon College of Medicine. 

The office plays a pivotal role in managing the Basic Medical Sciences (BMS) Graduate Program as well as coordinating support for undergraduate students and postdoctoral trainees. 

“I am truly excited to enter my new role as assistant director in ORET. It’s an incredible opportunity to support students and the department in ways that will contribute to our collective success,” Rodgers said. “I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to help create an environment where students thrive, develop, and feel empowered. Together, we’ll continue to build on the strength of our department, fostering growth, innovation, and the pursuit of excellence.”  

Robert Barrington, Ph.D., director of the ORET, said under Rodgers’ leadership, the office is poised to advance several strategic initiatives aimed at strengthening the BMS Graduate Program. These efforts include expanding enrollment to align with the institution's aspiration of achieving Carnegie R1 status, revising curricula, and enhancing opportunities for student professional development. Rodgers will be instrumental in these endeavors, beginning with the recruitment of the 2025 cohort.

Rodgers is a familiar and highly regarded member of the Whiddon College of Medicine, having served in the Office of Admissions since 2020. She initially joined as assistant to the director before being promoted to assistant director. Her prior experience includes roles as a secretary with the USA College of Engineering and USA Health. 

Rodgers received a Master of Education in educational administration for higher education administrators from the University of South Alabama. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in educational leadership and administration at USA. 

Learn more about the Office of Research Education and Training. 

Chakroborty awarded $100,000 grant for breast cancer research

At the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama’s award presentation, from left, are Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D.; Chandrani Sarkar, Ph.D.; Beth Davis, president and CEO of BCRFA; and Simon Grelet, Ph.D. 

Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D., an assistant professor of pathology at the Whiddon College of Medicine and a cancer researcher at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute, is the recipient of a $100,000 grant from the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama. Presented during an event in Birmingham in early December, the award was part of the organization’s $1.125 million investment in state-based research in 2024.

The highly competitive grants provide investigators funding over a two-year period. The awards act as seed funding for early-stage studies, allowing researchers to generate crucial data needed to attract major national grants. 

Breast cancer is a complex disease that is often identified with the presence of hardened mass or tissue, resulting from an overabundance of non-cellular components called extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM imparts a gradual elastic force to the cancer cells, known as matrix stiffness, which alters the cancer cell behavior, promotes metastatic progression, and impacts therapeutic outcomes, Chakroborty explained.

“Manipulation of cancer tissue stiffness is envisioned as a major strategy for improvement in cancer therapeutics,” he said. “However, the strategy is not yet successful due to the lack of appropriate targets.” 

Chakroborty’s project will explore a novel axis in breast cancer progression. Specifically, the study will identify the role of lysine-deficient protein kinase 1 (WNK1) on matrix stiffness in breast cancer. WNK1 is a protein that is abundantly expressed in cancer-associated fibroblasts, the most prominent non–cancer cell population in breast cancer tumor microenvironment and the primary depositor of ECM.

The research will be conducted in collaboration with Dhananjay T. Tambe, Ph.D., associate professor of mechanical engineering/biomedical engineering at USA; and Elba A. Turbat-Herrera, M.D., professor of pathology and director of the USA Health Biobank.

Also during the event, researchers presented posters to share findings from previously funded BCRFA research projects. Among the presenters were Simon Grelet, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology; and postdoctoral fellows Prabhat Suman, Ph.D., from Chakroborty’s lab, and Sooraj Kakkat, Ph.D., from the lab of Chandrani Sarkar, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology. 

BCRFA is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to find a cure for breast cancer by funding promising breast cancer research in Alabama. BCRFA funds promote a comprehensive approach to battling breast cancer by fueling collaborative and innovative research to help diagnose, treat, prevent, and eradicate the disease.