Nutrition

Biography

Omer Kucuk, MD, comes to Winship Cancer Institute from the Karmanos Cancer Center at Wayne State University in Detroit where he was a professor and co-leader of the population sciences and prevention program and member of the genitourinary and head and neck cancer multidisciplinary groups. Before joining the medical staff at Wayne State University, Dr. Kucuk served as professor and researcher at the University of Hawaii's John A. Burns School of Medicine in Honolulu.

Research Interest

Nutrition and cancer therapy are Dr. Kucuk's primary research focus. He has published extensively on various nutrients and botanicals alone and in combination with chemotherapy and radiation. Dr. Kucuk has been conducting preclinical and clinical studies with soy isoflavones, lycopene and other nutritional and botanical compounds since 1996. He is investigating the effects of micronutrients and phytochemicals on biomarkers of cell growth, differentiation, metastasis, inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA methylation and gene expression in a variety of cancers. His research also includes clinical studies on the epigenetic effects of botanicals, physical activity and relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga.