Eric B. Haura was named the associate center director of Clinical Science at Moffitt Cancer Center, and Nikhil Khushalani was named assistant center director of Clinical Research Review & Partnerships in a newly created role at Moffitt Cancer Center.
Haura will provide the strategic vision in developing physician-led laboratory science, as well as oversight of Moffitt’s clinical research operations, which includes more than 600 active clinical interventional trials and over 100 observational studies, including Moffitt’s Clinical Trials Office and Clinical Research Unit. Additionally, he will facilitate team science and clinical research opportunities with affiliate and consortium partners, and he provide guidance and mentorship to investigators at Moffitt.
Haura joined Moffitt in 2000 and has served in leadership roles in research, including director of the Lung Cancer Center of Excellence and co-leader of the Chemical Biology and Molecular Medicine Program. His research focuses on identifying new vulnerabilities and biomarkers in lung cancer, where his goal is to develop novel therapeutic strategies for his patients. His lab is also heavily involved in proteomics, the large-scale study of proteins, to identify new diagnostic tools for lung cancer. Haura treats patients as a senior member of the Department of Thoracic Oncology.
As assistant center director of Clinical Research Review & Partnerships, Khushalani will oversee Moffitt’s clinical trial scientific review operations. He will also work closely with Jennifer I. Vidrine, assistant center director of Research Strategic Partnerships, to expand clinical research offerings to affiliates and partners, including a clinical research unit opening in collaboration with AdventHealth in Celebration, Florida. This position also reports to Haura.
Khushalani joined Moffitt in 2015 as an associate member of the Department of Cutaneous Oncology, and became the vice chair and a senior member of the department. His clinical and research interests are in the development of novel therapeutics for patients with melanoma and other skin cancers. He studies the economic impact of new skin cancer therapies on health care, with the goal of devising strategies to reduce costs for patients. Khushalani is the principal investigator on several skin cancer clinical trials at Moffitt.
