Samuel E. Adunyah is the Distinguished Chair and Tenured Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Cancer Biology, Neuroscience, and Pharmacology at Meharry Medical College, where he serves as Chair. He holds the position of Contact Principal Investigator for the Meharry-Vanderbilt-TSU Cancer Partnership and is a member of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. Originally from Ghana, Dr. Adunyah obtained his BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 1978. He conducted postgraduate research at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH-Zurich) under Professor Ernesto Carafoli, earned an MS in Biochemistry from Oklahoma State University in 1984, and a PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Louisville in 1987. He completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer research at the University of New Mexico Cancer Research and Treatment Center and served as Cancer Research Instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Dr. Adunyah joined Meharry Medical College in 1991 as Assistant Professor, advancing to Associate Professor in 1997 and Chair of the Department of Biochemistry in 1998. He spearheaded the launch of the Meharry-Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Partnership in 1999, obtaining its inaugural NCI U54 grant in 2001. As principal investigator, he has directed grants including the Meharry Translational Research Center NIMHD U54 from 2012 to 2021, the Meharry RCMI NIMHD U54 since 2019, and an American Cancer Society diversity grant since 2021. His research specializes in cytokine receptor signaling, regulation of cancer cell growth and apoptosis, and cancer health disparities. Dr. Adunyah has mentored numerous PhD scientists—11 on cytokines such as IL-17 and IL-21—taught graduate-level cytokine courses since 1994, edited a book on the tumor microenvironment, and authored chapters including 'IL-17 Biological Effects and Signaling Mechanisms in Human Leukemia U937 Cells' and 'IL-21 Signaling and Induction of Cytokine Expression in Human Leukemia Cells and Monocytes.' He serves on the NIMHD National Advisory Council, NIH review panels, and the NBME Step 1 Committee for cell and developmental biology, and received the Cancer Partnership Leadership Award from the Meharry-Vanderbilt Alliance in 2019.

Professional Email: sadunyah@mmc.edu