East Alabama Health, Tuskegee University Announce Cancer Research Partnership

OPELIKA, Ala.—Researchers from East Alabama Health and Tuskegee University are working together to better understand, diagnose and treat various forms of cancer. The research partnership brings together a multidisciplinary team of physicians and investigative scientists united in the pursuit of improving treatment for patients battling cancer throughout the southeast. 

“We are extremely proud to partner with Tuskegee University to conduct cancer research that holds real promise for members of our community and beyond,” said Laura Grill, president and CEO of East Alabama Health. “This work reflects our profound commitment to advancing cancer research and, most importantly, to the patients and families who depend on us.”

Research done by the organizations will investigate diagnostic methods for various forms of cancer such as liquid and tissue biopsies, as well as innovative treatment methods for cancers such as breast cancer, gynecologic cancer and prostate cancer. 

Through the Tuskegee University Center for Biomedical Research – led by Dr. Deepa Bedi and supported by Dr. Tim Turner, Associate Vice President of Research, cancer research is shaping health outcomes locally and nationally. This kind of collaboration immerses students in transformative discovery.

“We are proud to partner with East Alabama Health around such an important initiative,” said Dr. Mark A. Brown, president and CEO of Tuskegee University. “The cancer research on campus is helping to influence the health of residents of this region and around the country. This is the kind of collaboration that exposes our students to life-changing research as we train them to solve the world’s most complex problems.”

Physicians from East Alabama Health collaborating in the research efforts bring experience from various fields of medicine, such as oncology, wound treatment and pathology. The physicians are oncologist and hematologists Brandon Johnson, M.D., and James Lennon, D.O., William Meadows, M.D., a wound care physician and plastic surgeon, and Adam Vogt, M.D., a clinical pathologist certified in cytopathology and dermatology. 

The physicians will work closely with Dr. Deepa Bedi, Dr. Stacy Lloyd and Dr. Isra Elhussin, researchers from Tuskegee University who all have extensive experience investigating areas of cancer diagnoses and treatments. 

“This partnership brings together academic innovation and frontline clinical care with a shared purpose of advancing how we understand, detect and treat cancer,” said Sarah Nunnelly, chief strategy and business development officer at East Alabama Health. “By aligning our strengths, we’re creating a more dynamic, responsive model of care that accelerates discovery and ensures patients benefit from the latest advances sooner.”

Johnson, who practices at the Spencer Cancer Center, says the research will lead to new ways of detecting cancers earlier and delivering more effective treatment.

“As an oncologist, I see firsthand the courage of patients and families facing cancer every day,” Johnson said. “This research partnership with Tuskegee University brings together a team committed to advancing earlier detection and more targeted treatments not just in theory, but in ways that can directly improve how we care for patients right now.”

This collaboration builds on East Alabama Health’s ongoing commitment to advancing medical research across a range of critical areas. In addition to cancer, clinical researchers practicing at East Alabama Medical Center (EAMC) are currently working with the National Institute of Health and the Duke Clinical Research Institute to better understand and treat the effects of long COVID.

To learn more about the clinical research opportunities available at East Alabama Health, visit www.eastalabamahealth.org/research.

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About East Alabama Health

East Alabama Health encompasses East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika, EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital in Valley, the Spencer Cancer Center in Opelika, the Auburn Medical Pavilion and a host of other key medical clinics and practices that help provide a continuum of care to patients throughout an 11-county area. EAMC is a 314-bed regional referral hospital that is currently under construction to add 30 critical care beds. EAMC-Lanier Rural Emergency Hospital provides emergency and outpatient services while its campus also features a nursing home and an ambulatory surgery center. East Alabama Health employs about 3,800 people and is the second largest employer in the region, trailing only Auburn University.

About Tuskegee University

Located in Tuskegee, Alabama, Tuskegee University is a private, state-related and nationally ranked land-grant institution that serves a racially, ethnically and religiously diverse student body of 3,000-plus students. The institution was founded in 1881 by Booker T. Washington and is one of the nation's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges since 1933, Tuskegee’s academic programs — many accredited by their respective accrediting bodies — currently lead to 41 bachelor’s, 16 master’s and five doctoral degree opportunities. For more information about Tuskegee University, visit www.tuskegee.edu.