Funmi olopade biography of michael

A national leader in clinical cancer genetics, Dr. Olopade seeks to identify those at risk for breast and ovarian cancer earlier in life, intervene aggressively, reduce risk, and thereby more effectively control cancer. She studies familial cancers, molecular genetics of cancer, cancer risk assessment and chemoprevention, breast cancer in minority populations, and disparities in health outcomes. Her current laboratory research is focused on tumor suppressor genes such as BRCA1 and BRCA2, mutations of which predispose to breast and ovarian cancers, and ER-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease that is resistant to hormone therapy. She is working to develop new biomarkers and translate recent advances in molecular genetics research into a clinical benefit for patients.

Dr. Olopade specializes in treating breast cancer in moderate- or high-risk populations, especially young or pregnant women, those with hereditary cancer syndromes, and young women of African descent

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A bequest to support research in familial breast cancer risk

Founded in 1992, the University of Chicago Medicine Cancer Risk and Prevention Clinic provides the comprehensive evaluation and risk reduction for people at high risk for cancer in Illinois. Clinic founder Olufunmilayo I. Olopade, MD, internationally renowned for her expertise in breast cancer, began recruiting families with suspected genetic predispositions for cancer to participate in research studies at the clinic.

The experience undoubtedly left a lasting impact on one former study participant. She and her husband, decided to document a $400,000 bequest to support the clinic more than 25 years later. A member of one of the first families Dr. Olopade recruited, she says the clinic provided hope for her and her six siblings.

“Being part of the research, we received a valuable gift—just to have that knowledge back in the day—and we just want to keep on giving,” said the donor, who lost both her mother and oldest sister

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Olufunmilayo Falusi Olopade, a physician forskare, is the Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of medicin and Human Genetics, Dean for Global Health and Director, Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics at The University of Chicago. A global leader in Medicine, Olopade's pioneering work led to the translation of advances in human genetics to the benefit of women at high risk for breast and ovarian cancer. She extended the research on cancer susceptibility genes to women of African ancestry in Nigeria and provided the first reports on the spectrum of pathogenic genetic mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes in African American and African women. Her pioneering work showed that the aggressive features of BRCA1-associated tumors were due to unique patterns of gene amplification in these tumors. This work contributed to further refinement of breast cancer into distinct molecular subtypes that are differentially distributed across populations and contribute to disparities in br