Rate My Professor Nihal Ahmad

Dr. Ahmad's research specializations center on the mechanisms underlying cancer development and progression, with a particular emphasis on skin cancer and melanoma. His investigations explore the roles of mitotic regulators such as polo-like kinases (PLKs) in melanocytic transformation and melanoma progression, as well as NAD+-dependent sirtuin proteins in cancer. He studies cancer prevention, interception, and experimental therapeutics using naturally occurring agents like resveratrol, vitamin E, selenium, and melatonin. Notable publications include "Green tea constituent epigallocatechin-3-gallate and induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in human carcinoma cells" (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1997), "Resveratrol causes WAF-1/p21-mediated G1-phase arrest of cell cycle and induction of apoptosis in human epidermoid carcinoma A431 cells" (Clinical Cancer Research, 2001), "Role of sirtuin histone deacetylase Sirt1 in prostate cancer" (Journal of Biological Chemistry, 2009), and "PLK1 and NOTCH Positively Correlate in Melanoma" (Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, 2021). He has been honored with election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2023 and the Mohs Family Endowment. Dr. Ahmad co-leads the Cancer Prevention & Control program at the UW Carbone Cancer Center and trains graduate students in programs such as Molecular & Environmental Toxicology and Cellular & Molecular Pathology.