Drissi Lab Staff
Rachid Drissi, PhD
Principal lnvestigator
Rachid.Drissi@NationwideChildrens.org
Rachid Drissi, PhD, is a principal investigator in the Center for Childhood Cancer at the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and an associate professor of pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Dr. Drissi focuses on understanding high-risk pediatric brain tumor biology and the mechanisms of synergy and resistance in these malignancies to identify molecular therapeutic targets and develop new treatment paradigms. He is the director of the Translational Research and Correlative Studies Laboratory for the Collaborative Network for Neuro-Oncology Clinical Trials (CONNECT). He provides support to the extensive translational research endeavors for the Brain Tumor Research Program. Dr. Drissi leads biology studies in multiple clinical trials through several consortia such as the Children’s Oncology Group, Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium and CONNECT. Dr. Drissi received his master’s degree in biochemistry and his doctorate degree in molecular and cellular biology from the Pierre and Marie Curie University (Paris 6) in Paris, France. He then completed his postdoctoral fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, studying the effect of DNA damage on DNA replication in human cells and the regulation of telomerase by the oncogene c-Myc. As an associate investigator at St. Jude, Dr. Drissi focused on the relation between telomere dysfunction and the DNA damage signaling pathway. Later, as director of the Brain Tumor Center Translational Research Laboratory at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Dr. Drissi’s research program expanded from a focus on the biology of telomeres and telomerase in cancer to a leadership role. His laboratory served as the core resource for designing and executing novel biomarkers and integrated proof of principle research studies in clinical trials developing new therapies for children and young adults with relapsed and high-risk brain tumors.
Shiva Priya Dharshan Senthil Kumar
Senior Research Associate
Shiva.SenthilKumar@NationwideChildrens.org
Shiva joined the Drissi Lab in 2013 and was the lab manager responsible for ordering supplies, maintaining compliance with institutional protocols and onboarding new lab members. Shiva’s focus was on translational research and collaborating with other lab members. Shiva has a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University in India and a master’s degree in cell and molecular biology from Miami University.
Deepak Kumar Mishra, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow
DeepakKumar.Mishra@NationwideChildrens.org
Deepak Mishra, PhD, joined the Drissi Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2018. Dr. Mishra’s work focused on pediatric brain tumor therapeutics. Dr. Mishra earned a doctorate in life sciences from Jawaharlal Nehru University in India.
Hao-Han Pang, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
HaoHan.Pang@NationwideChildrens.org
Hao-Han Pang, PhD, joined the Drissi Lab as a postdoctoral fellow in 2023. His research focuses on discovering the role of BMI-1 in M-phase of DIPG tumor cells. He earned his doctoral degree from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan.
Banlanjo Umaru, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Banlanjo.Umaru@NationwideChildrens.org
Banlanjo Umaru, PhD, joined the Drissi Lab in 2022 as a postdoctoral scientist. Dr. Umaru received his doctorate in Tohoku University in Japan in the field of medical sciences. Currently, Dr. Umaru’s research explores leveraging telomere damage to develop new treatment strategies for Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG).
Zhuang Wang, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher
Zhuang.Wang@NationwideChildrens.org
Zhuang Wang, PhD, joined the Drissi Lab in 2024 as a postdoctoral scientist. He received his doctorate in biomedical sciences from Virginia Tech with a focus on immunology. Currently, his research focuses on deciphering the complex immune landscape within diffuse midline glioma (DMG) tumors and dedicates to harnessing the power of immunotherapy to develop innovative therapeutic strategies for combating DMG. His work involves both experimental and computational approaches to identify potential targets and optimize immunotherapeutic interventions. In his free time, he likes to hike and workout.
Grateful Beckers
Research Assistant
Grateful.Beckers@NationwideChildrens.org
Grateful joined the Drissi Lab in 2024 as a research assistant. She graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College with a bachelor of arts in molecular biology and received high honors in her major for her research on gene expression in mosquitos. Currently, Grateful is assisting on projects exploring therapeutic treatments for Diffuse Intrinsic Pediatric Glioma (DIPG). Outside of the lab, she is an artist and performer, often finding ways to incorporate her passion for science into her work.
Brendan Devine
Research Assistant
Brendan.Devine@NationwideChildrens.org
Brendan joined the Drissi Lab in 2022. Currently, he assists other lab members with projects on therapeutic interventions for pediatric gliomas. Brendan graduated with his bachelor’s degree from The Ohio State University in 2022.
Komal Khan
Research Assistant/Lab Manager
Komal.Khan@NationwideChildrens.org
Komal joined the Drissi Lab in 2024. She received her bachelor of science in health and rehabilitation with honors from The Ohio State University with a minor in microbiology. Currently, Komal is assisting on projects exploring therapeutic treatments for Diffuse Intrinsic Pediatric Glioma (DIPG). In her free time, Komal likes to watch movies and explore new cafes in Columbus with her friends and family.
Maya Mohamad
Research Assistant
Maya.Mohamad@NationwideChildrens.org
Maya joined the Drissi Lab in 2023. Maya’s focus is on translational research on pediatric brain tumor therapeutics. Maya is the lab manager responsible for maintaining the lab’s inventory and the institutional safety protocols & guidelines. Maya has a master’s degree in cell and molecular biology from the Lebanese American University.
Rebecca Shoffner
Research Assistant
Rebecca.Shoffner@NationwideChildrens.org
Rebecca joined the lab in 2022 to assist with ongoing translational research studies. Her background is in animal care, and she has a bachelor's degree in zoology from The Ohio State University. Her focus is compliance and refinement of animal research while contributing to better outcomes for children with high-grade brain tumors.