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About

Located in Worcester, Massachusetts, the UMass Cancer Center is committed to providing exceptional patient care, conducting cutting-edge research at the highest level, offering excellence in education and training, and serving as an educational resource and advocate for the Central Massachusetts community.
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Patients

Expert Cancer Care in Central Massachusetts

We offer comprehensive cancer care for all childhood and adult cancers, combining state-of-the-art treatments with compassionate support for patients and their families.
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Research
Research

Cutting-Edge Cancer Research

We carry out front-line research in basic, translational, clinical and population-based discovery to find newer, better methods for the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer.
Education
Education

World Class Medical and Scientific Education

The UMass Cancer Center is dedicated to training the next generation of cancer researchers, clinicians and physician-scientists.
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Michael Green Memorial
Michael Green Memorial

UMass Chan lost one of its greats when Michael R. Green, MD, PhD, passed away unexpectedly in February 2023. We've established these web pages in his memory so our visitors can take a few minutes, from time to time, to peruse and remember him.

Donate to the The Michael R. Green, MD, PhD, Award in Graduate Research:

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Additional Resources

William A. Flavahan, PhD

Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, UMass Chan Medical School

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William A. Flavahan, PhD

Research Focus - Epigenetics and Chromatin Topology in Cancer

Identify epigenetic driver lesions in cancer
Develop and utilize tools for epigenome editing
Characterize cancer-associated defects in the three-dimensional structure of the genome
Discover the effects of tumor-associated microenvironment (especially metabolism) on the epigenome
Develop methods to target epigenetically-driven phenotypes such as cancer stem cells and drug-tolerant persisters

Representative Publication

Flavahan WA, Drier Y, et al. Altered chromosomal topology drives oncogenic programs in SDH-deficient GISTs. Nature. 2019;575(7781):229-233.

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In the News

Getting Results…

UMass Chan cancer biologist receives New Innovator Award for developing DNA sequencing technology

William Flavahan, PhD, is one of 40 recipients of the $1.5 million NIH Director’s New Innovator Award, designed to support early career investigators who are proposing bold research.

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William Flavahan receives Distinguished Scientist Award for groundbreaking brain cancer research

William Flavahan, PhD, has received a four-year, $600,000 award from the Sontag Foundation to advance his studies of the genetic processes leading to brain tumors.

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