Benjamin A Rybicki, PhD

Member of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute

Biographical Statement:

I am currently the Henry Ford lead investigator of the Connect for Cancer Prevention study – a multiyear study funded by the National Cancer Institute aim at discovering new risk factors for cancer. My research interests are in the molecular epidemiology of prostate cancer and cancer health disparities with a focus on biological differences in carcinogenesis by ancestry. My most recent published research is focused on inflammatory markers of cancer susceptibility in benign prostate tissue and prostate cancer histomics.

My research group has also been a leader in understanding the role that DNA adducts play in prostate carcinogenesis – publishing some of the first and only epidemiologic studies examining the relationship of DNA adduct levels to prostate cancer susceptibility and outcomes. My prostate cancer research includes collaborative efforts that report on the genomics of prostate cancer in African American men – whole genome scans and sequencing studies that reveal the race-specific genomic changes that may predispose African American men to a higher level of morbidity and mortality from prostate cancer.

I also have a long-standing research interest in the genetic epidemiology of sarcoidosis. This includes past NIH funding as a principal investigator, as well as multiple NIH-funded collaborations that resulted in the first whole genome association and sequencing studies of African American sarcoidosis patients.

Titles:

• Associate Director of Research, Henry Ford Cancer
• Vice Chair of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences
• Senior Scientist

Research Interests:

• Prostate Cancer Biomarkers
• Sarcoidosis Genetics
• Genetic Epidemiology Methods
• Case-control studies

Awards and Honors:

• Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program Integration Panel Scientific advisor: 2011
• Jae Ho Kim best scientific manuscript of the year award in the Henry Ford Health System: 2012
• Focus on People Award awarded by the Board of Trustees of Henry Ford Health: 2016
• NCI SPORE Review Panel II: 2017
• Jae Ho Kim Outstanding Oncologist Researcher award, Henry Ford Health: 2022