Meet the Directors
(L-R) Dr. Ian Kleckner and Dr. Bret Hassel
About the Director: Bret A. Hassel, Ph.D.
Dr. Hassel received his PhD from Johns Hopkins University and did postdoctoral studies at the Cleveland Clinic before joining the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) in 1995. Dr. Hassel led a well-funded research team investigating the mechanisms of antiviral and tumor suppressive activity by the type-1 interferon-effector, RNase-L, for over 20 years before turning his professional roles to training and education. As Program Director for the Molecular Microbiology and Immunology Graduate Program and UMGCCC Assistant Director of Training and Education, Dr. Hassel was PI or co-I on seven NIH training grants. These programs formed a foundation for the development of a training continuum that spans middle school through post-graduate education and is nationally recognized as a model for pipeline training. He served as Director the NSIP from for 25 years and in 2015, he received the first NIH grant that has supported the program since its inception. Following his retirement in 2026, Dr. Hassel continues to contribute to the NSIP as a Professor Emeritus and Advisory Board member.
See Dr. Hassel's School of Medicine profile.
About the Co-Director: Ian Kleckner, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Dr. Ian Kleckner is an Associate Professor, Director of the Cancer Control Mind & Body Lab at the University of Maryland Baltimore, and Director of the SYNAPSE Center for studying symptom science using neuroscientific and psychological approaches. He and his lab aim to understand how the body and brain produce subjective feelings, and to translate that knowledge into treatments that help patients with cancer feel better. His current NCI- and ACS-funded research focuses on how cancer chemotherapy causes side effects such as neuropathy and distress through basic and translational research, and how to treat these symptoms using exercise through local and multi-site clinical trials. He uses methods from psychophysiology, neuroimaging, exercise science, and behavioral science, with computational approaches informed by his background in physics and biophysics.
Meet our new Co-Director: Kristen Varney, Ph.D.
Dr. Kristen Varney is a Professor in the UMSOM Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Co-Director of the UM Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) Structural Biology Shared Resource, Section Leader for Structural Biology at the UM Center for Biomolecular Therapeutics (CBT), and Director of the UMSOM NMR Facility. As such, Dr. Varney promotes the use of structural biology in ongoing and new NIH-funded research projects at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. This includes providing guidance for all new and ongoing structural biology–related projects, many of which utilize all three major structural biology techniques; NMR, X-ray crystallography, and single particle cryoEM for structure-based therapeutic development. Also, in addition to conducting her own research, she manages the technical aspects of all NMR-related projects conducted at the facility. This includes assisting investigators in preparing appropriate NMR samples; troubleshooting sample conditions; setting up and running all NMR experiments; processing and analyzing NMR data; and using all NMR-related computer software for NMR structure and dynamic characterization of proteins, protein complexes, and complexes involving biomolecular therapeutics and small molecule inhibitors.