Dr . Hazem Ghoneim, PHD
Board of Trustees
Dr. Hazem Ghoneim is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Microbial Infection and Immunity at The Ohio State University College of Medicine, a position he has held since 2019. He grew up near the Giza pyramids in Memphis, Egypt, and pursued his undergraduate studies at Cairo University, where he earned a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Sciences with Highest Honors. Following his passion for research, he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, to complete a doctoral degree in Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.
During his Ph.D. training at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital under the mentorship of Dr. Jon McCullers, a pioneer physician-scientist in influenza research, Dr. Ghoneim made significant contributions to understanding the synergistic relationship between primary influenza infections and bacterial superinfections. His findings, published in the Journal of Immunology in 2013, revealed novel mechanisms underlying this interaction. He also developed innovative preclinical models to investigate optimal therapeutic strategies for managing complicated pneumonia, with results that aligned with findings from multiple clinical trials, as published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases in 2014.
After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Ghoneim became increasingly interested in the transformative potential of immune checkpoint blockade therapy for cancer treatment. To explore key challenges in T cell immunotherapy, he joined Dr. Nicholas Youngblood’s lab at St. Jude, where he focused on the epigenetic mechanisms regulating T cell differentiation and function. In 2016, he published an opinion review article in Trends in Molecular Medicine, presenting a novel hypothesis on how epigenetic DNA methylation programming silences CD8 T cell function in chronic viral infections and cancer, thereby limiting responses to immune checkpoint blockade therapy. The article was featured on the journal’s cover. His subsequent research, using preclinical models of chronic viral infection and cancer, demonstrated that de novo DNA methylation programming enforces terminal T cell exhaustion and restricts the efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade therapy. These groundbreaking findings were published in Cell in 2017 and received widespread recognition, including features in Science Magazine and selection by Faculty of 1000 Prime for their special significance.
Dr. Ghoneim has also contributed as a co-author to publications in Nature, Nature Immunology, and the Journal of Experimental Medicine. His research and advocacy work continue to advance the fields of microbial infection and immunotherapy, offering critical insights into improving immune-based treatments for infectious diseases and cancer.
In addition to his academic and research contributions, he is deeply committed to public health advocacy and community support. He serves as a Trustee of Empower Her Breast Cancer, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing breast cancer research, awareness, and support for those affected by the disease. Through this role, he actively contributes to initiatives that promote early detection, innovative research, and patient empowerment.