Dr. Hassan Ashktorab is a professor in the Department of Medicine and an adjunct professor in the Department of Genetics and Human Genetics. The focus of Dr. Ashktorab’s research is epigenetics and the genetics of gastrointestinal cancers especially colon cancer. His long term goals include the identification and characterization of factors that play a direct role in the initiation and progression of cancer, specifically colon cancer. Dr. Ashktorab is hopeful that his work can contribute to the reduction of cancer health disparities through his NIH funded research focusing on investigating the genetic and epigenetic factors that contribute to the development of adenomas (polyps) and colon cancer especially in African Americans.