UAB Department of Surgery Division of Pediatric Surgery Assistant Professor and Associate Scientist in the O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center Laura Stafman, M.D., Ph.D., has been selected to participate in the National Cancer Institute Early-Stage Surgeon Scientist Program (NCI ESSP), beginning April 1, 2024.

The NCI ESSP is a prestigious training program designed to encourage and support surgeon scientists in conducting basic or translational research related to cancer. Each year, through a highly competitive application process, the program selects 12 surgeon-scientists in the early stages of their career to support their continued education and research pursuits. Each participant is advised by a mentoring committee comprised of experts from their academic medical center, the NCI, and the NIH, and participates in quarterly symposia.

Stafman became an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Pediatric Surgery in October 2023. She earned her medical degree from the University of Florida and her Ph.D. in cancer biology from UAB. Stafman completed a general surgery residency at UAB and a pediatric surgery fellowship at Vanderbilt University. In addition to treating the full breadth of pediatric surgical conditions, she has a clinical focus on pediatric surgical oncology.

Stafman's research is focused on one of the most prevalent childhood tumors -- neuroblastoma. To better understand how to treat neuroblastoma, she studies the impact of various treatments on lipid metabolism, differentiation, and stemness with a goal to develop novel and combinatorial therapeutics.

“It is a privilege to have been selected for this highly competitive cohort of early-stage surgeon scientists,” says Stafman. “I am truly thankful for this opportunity and am grateful for the support I have received from both UAB and the NCI for my research related to pediatric cancer biology.”