Dr. Shirwan is Professor and Marvin Hall, MD Faculty Scholar in Diabetes, Department of Pediatrics and Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Director, Division of Pediatric Research, Associate Director of the Immunomodulation and Regenerative Medicine Program, Ellis Fischer Cancer Center, and Member of NextGen Precision Health Institute, University of Missouri-Columbia, MO. Dr. Shirwan is an elected Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors. He earned a PhD in Molecular Biology-Biochemistry from the University of California in Santa Barbara, CA, followed by postdoctoral training at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA. Before relocating to the University of Missouri-Columbia in 2020, Dr. Shirwan served on the faculty of various academic institutions in the United States, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, Alleghany University of the Health Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and the University of Louisville, Louisville, KY. Dr. Shirwan’s translational research program focuses on targeted modulation of the immune system with a focus on transplantation, autoimmunity, and cancer immunotherapy and immunoprevention. Dr. Shirwan is an inventor with 29 issued and 7 pending patents, Founder/co-founder of 3 biotech startups, is widely published, has organized and lectured at numerous national/international conferences, and served on grant review panels for various federal and non-profit funding agencies and editorial boards of various scientific journals.