University of Florida cancer researcher Sadeem Qdaisat has been inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame. The recognition honors seniors and graduate students who have consistently demonstrated an outstanding commitment to improving UF through campus and community involvement, participation in organized campus activities, and scholastic achievement. It is one of the most prestigious honors awarded to students by the UF Division of Student Life.
Qdaisat graduated with his Ph.D. in genetics and genomics in the Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery – UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program with a focus on clinical and translational science. His mentor is Elias Sayour, M.D., Ph.D., co-leader of the UF Health Cancer Center’s Immuno-Oncology and Microbiome research program.
Qdaisat has been extensively involved with the UF Health Cancer Center. In fall 2022, he completed the Cancer Policy Internship in Washington, D.C. He also received a 2022 UF Health Cancer Center Predoctoral Award for his dissertation, titled “Precision Oncology and Adaptive Tumor Management: A Comprehensive Approach to Leveraging Interferon-I Biomimetics, CTCs, and Gene-Fusions mRNA-NPs Against Immunotherapeutic Resistance.”
Qdaisat’s research focuses on developing targeted immune-therapeutic treatments against brain tumors. As a member of the UF Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program, Qdaisat is also part of the team working on first-in-human clinical trials to develop immunotherapy treatments for children with aggressive brain cancers, where he founded the Pediatric Cancer Immunotherapy Initiative Program Biobank.
In addition to numerous research accomplishments, Qdaisat has been dedicated to service. He served as the volunteer coordinator for the 2023 Cancer Chomp, hosted by the Preston A. Wells Jr. Center for Brain Tumor Therapy and the Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Florida. The 5K event raised more than $50,000, with all proceeds supporting patients and their families undergoing brain tumor treatment at UF Health.
Qdaisat was officially inducted during a ceremony on April 19. UF will display the official UF Hall of Fame composite photo for generations to come on the third level of the Reitz Union.
