Benjamin A Rybicki, PhD

Member of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute

Titles:

• Associate Director of Research, Henry Ford Cancer Institute
• Henry Ford Hospital Associate Chair, Department of Public Health Sciences

Biographical Statement:
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 currently funded research is focused on inflammatory markers of cancer susceptibility in benign prostate tissue.

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 interests 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.

Research Interests:

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

Awards and Honors:

• Alpha Omega Delta Award: 1988
• Epidemiology of Cancer (EPIC) Study Section: Full Member: 2004 – 2008
• Early Detection Research Network: Site Visit Reviewer: 2009
• 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
• NCI SPORE Review Panel II: 2017