Sulma Mohammed, D.V.M., Ph.D., an accomplished cancer biology and health disparities researcher, has been named co-leader of the UF Health Cancer Center’s Cancer Control and Population Sciences research program. She will also serve as co-director of the National Cancer Institute-funded Florida-California Cancer Research, Education and Engagement CaRE2 Health Equity Center.
Mohammed, who researches breast and cervical cancer biology with a focus on cancer prevention, biomarkers, and disparities, joins the University of Florida as a professor in the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences in the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. She came to UF from Purdue University, where she was a professor of cancer biology in the Department of Comparative Pathobiology. She was also a professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at Indiana University.
“We are thrilled have Dr. Mohammed join the UF Health Cancer Center with such critical roles in expanding the breadth of our population sciences program and increasing the impact of the CaRE2 Health Equity Center in its mission to better understand cancer health disparities that affect the population of the state of Florida,” said Jonathan D. Licht, M.D., director of the Cancer Center.
Mohammed’s research focuses on developing accessible and innovative cancer prevention and detection solutions. One of her current projects, funded by the Department of Defense, is evaluating an immune-preventive agent in an early form of breast cancer.
Additionally, with funds from the NIH and NCI, she is creating a point-of-care screening test for early cervical cancer detection aimed at low- and middle-income countries, where conventional screening methods are often inaccessible.
“My long-term goal is to continue integrating innovative research with global outreach, improving cancer care equity and outcomes worldwide,” she said.
Mohammed grew up in Omdurman, a city in Sudan, where she gained an early affinity for animals caring for her family’s goats. Her experiences shaped her belief in the interconnectedness of animal, human, and environmental health. Today, as a veterinarian who studies cancer, she’s able to probe the similarities between tumors in dogs and humans and help both species.
Mohammed earned her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine from Khartoum University. She then earned a master’s degree in microbiology from Cornell University and her doctoral degree in microbiology and molecular biology from Purdue University, where she was a fellow in the Department of Biological Sciences and Department of Renewable Resources.
She has held several distinguished roles, including fellowships with renowned institutions such as the Walther Cancer Institute of Indiana University. She has played active roles in organizations including the African Organization of Research and Training in Cancer and the African Union Diaspora Health Initiative, contributing to policy and mentoring the next generation of cancer researchers.
Mohammed has also been recognized by a variety of organizations for her work on cancer and global cancer disparity, including African First Ladies, Harvard Global Health, and the American Association for Cancer Research.
In 2022, she was recognized as a Pursue Distinguished Women Scholar. Purdue Provost Jay Akridge praised Mohammed for her achievements as a leading scientist in three areas of cancer research: mechanisms of cancer dissemination through the lymphatic system; breast cancer model development to study progression and discover strategies for prevention; and disparity in cancer risk and cancer research infrastructure in Africa.
