Dr. Jelani Zarif is an assistant professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine – Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Zarif is also a member of the Bloomberg ~ Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. The Zarif Laboratory focuses on prostate cancer immunology and identifying the molecular mechanisms by which host immune cells such as tumor-associated macrophages contribute to prostate cancer metastasis and therapeutic resistance. Dr. Zarif earned both his BS and MS degrees from Jackson State University. Dr. Zarif received his PhD in cell and molecular biology from Michigan State University in the lab of Dr. Cindy Miranti. He then completed two post-doctoral fellowships in Department of Urology in the lab of Dr. Kenneth Pienta and Oncology-Immunology/Hematopoiesis in the laboratory of Dr. Drew Pardoll at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine which both focused on prostate cancer immunology and immunotherapy. Dr. Zarif has been the recipient of several awards, including the Prostate Cancer Foundation’s Young Investigator award, The Patrick C. Walsh Prostate Cancer Research Fund, and the NIH/NCI K22 Career Transition award.