image: Stuart S. Martin, PhD, appointed Chair of the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Credit: University of Maryland School of Medicine
Stuart S. Martin, PhD, an internationally recognized breast cancer researcher, has been appointed Chair of the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) Department of Pharmacology & Physiology, Dean Mark T. Gladwin, MD, announced today. As the distinguished Drs. Angela and Harry Brodie Professor of Translational Cancer Research, Dr. Martin has served as Interim Chair of the Department over the past year. He also serves as the Deputy Director of the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC), one of 57 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the nation.
“Dr. Martin is an esteemed scientist whose landmark research identifying microtentacles on cancer cells as a pathway to metastasis has significantly advanced the oncology field with the promise of new life-extending therapies,” said Mark T. Gladwin, MD, who is also the Vice President for Medical Affairs at the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the John Z. and Akiko K. Bowers Distinguished Professor and Dean. “His more than 20 years of success at the School have elevated our contributions in basic science on a global scale. We are extremely proud to have him assume this role and know that his leadership will continue to be pivotal in the continued development of the Department.”
Dr. Martin stepped into the interim chair role last year after helping guide the merger of the Department of Physiology and Department of Pharmacology into one joint department. At that time, Margaret McCarthy, PhD, Endowed Professor and former Chair of the Department of Pharmacology, stepped down from her Chair role to focus on growing and expanding the University of Maryland - Medicine Institute of Neuroscience Discovery (UM-MIND) where she has been serving as the Director. UM-MIND, launched in 2023, conducts translational research of the brain and fosters collaboration between basic and clinical neuroscientists.
The recently merged Department of Pharmacology & Physiology is dedicated to advancing basic science research efforts with a strong focus on the development of new drug therapies. The Department spans three divisions including Cancer Therapeutics, Molecular Physiology, and Neuropharmacology and maintains strong research partnerships across UMSOM Centers and Institutes, as well as the new BioPark property at 4MLK.
Leading the Race for a Cure
Dr. Martin is highly-regarded for his research focused on bioengineering, tumor cell biology, and the molecular mechanisms to inhibit cancer metastasis. He is best known for his groundbreaking discovery of thin membrane protrusions called “microtentacles," which were found on the surface of breast cancer cells and can enhance how cancer spreads to other parts of the body. In 2020, his research team advanced this critical discovery by inventing a novel device called the TetherChip, designed to improve testing for microtentacles.
The tiny, fluid-filled TetherChip device preserves tumor cells by preventing cell adhesion — a process that would otherwise destroy the microtentacles. The device has a shelf-life of more than 2 years and can be shipped across the country for patients seeking consultations with other oncologists. Biopsy samples can also be rapidly fixed and stained, so patients can potentially receive their results on the day of their biopsy procedure. In 2020 and 2024, the device was awarded two U.S. patents, and Dr. Martin’s research team is currently pursuing FDA approval.
As a leading cancer researcher, Dr. Martin’s laboratory has been supported by grants from the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Defense, a VA Merit Award, as well as funding from the METAvivor Foundation, American Cancer Society, Kahlert Foundation, and Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund Program totaling more than $20 million.
In 2020, Dr. Martin received an endowed professorship established by the Greenebaum Family Foundation in honor of the late Angela H. Brodie, PhD, who, with her husband and longtime scientific collaborator, Harry Brodie, PhD, pioneered the development of aromatase inhibitors, a class of hormone-targeting drugs that has changed the face of breast cancer treatment.
Dr. Martin also previously served as the Co-Director of UMGCCC's Hormone-Related Cancers Program, a group of 45 investigator labs that is focused on translating basic science discoveries in breast, prostate, and ovarian cancers towards clinical treatment of patients.
“I am highly delighted to see Dr. Martin assume his new role as Chair of the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology,” said Taofeek K. Owonikoko, MD, PhD, Executive Director of UMGCCC and the Marlene & Stewart Greenebaum Distinguished Professor of Oncology. “Since taking over as Interim Chair in 2024, he has been a steadfast partner and furthered the work of the Department in alignment with the goals of the Cancer Center, including the recruitment of high-profile faculty from leading institutions around the country into the division of cancer therapeutics. I am confident that his leadership of the department will further strengthen our shared mission and impact.”
Legacy in Academic Medicine
Dr. Martin joined the UMSOM faculty in 2004, serving as Assistant Professor in the Department of Physiology. He rose to the rank of tenured Professor and later transitioned to the Department of Pharmacology in 2020. He took over as interim chair of Pharmacology and Physiology in 2024 after the two departments were merged. J. Marc Simard, MD, PhD, the Dr. Bizhan Aarabi Professor in Neurotrauma, and Professor of Neurosurgery, Pathology, and Physiology, had served as interim Chair of Physiology from 2022 until the Department was merged.
Over the course of Dr. Martin’s distinguished career at UMSOM, he has published more than 90 articles in high-impact scientific journals, such as Cancer Research, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), and Nature Communications. He has an h-index of 42 and has been cited almost 5,000 times. In 2010, he was one of only three investigators in the U.S. to receive a five-year, $3.5 million Era of Hope Scholar Award from the Department of Defense recognizing his innovative work on breast cancer metastasis. This award is given to exceptionally talented scientists who are considered the "best and the brightest" and have shown high potential for innovation in breast cancer research early in their careers.
For his excellence in teaching and mentoring, he has also been honored with the Dr. Patricia K. Sokolove Outstanding Mentor Award and the GPILS Teacher of the Year Award from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, which are bestowed upon faculty who are nominated by graduate students.
“During my time on the faculty at the School of Medicine, the highly collaborative environment has always allowed the most compelling science to emerge at the intersections between different fields," said Dr. Martin. "I am enthusiastic to help support the ongoing growth of numerous multi-disciplinary collaborations already underway between the faculty and trainees in this department. Our collective focus on defining fundamental physiological mechanisms and developing new therapeutic interventions provides an exciting opportunity to advance discoveries. Likewise, we look forward to partnering with other departments, institutes and centers to continue building the dynamic research environment at the School of Medicine and develop new treatments for a broad range of medical conditions.”
Dr. Martin currently serves as Chair of the American Cancer Society Board for the Baltimore/DC Region, and is an active member of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Dr. Martin received his PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of California, San Diego, after training as a Howard Hughes undergraduate research fellow at the University of Virginia. He also completed a Damon Runyon postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School that combined functional genomic studies with mouse models of breast tumor metastasis, under the mentorship of Dr. Phil Leder.