Nisha D'Silva, BDS, MSD, PhD, is the Donald Kerr Endowed Collegiate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry. She is also Professor of Pathology at the University of Michigan Medical School and a member of the University of Michigan Rogel Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. D'Silva received her dental degree at the University of Bombay, India, followed by a Residency in Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology and a Masters' degree at Indiana University, Indianapolis. She received her PhD at the University of Washington, Seattle. Dr. D'Silva is a cancer biologist, oral pathologist, and educator. Her translational research in head and neck cancer focuses on biomarkers and molecular mechanisms of tumor progression and treatment resistance. Her research has been funded by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research/ National Institutes of Health (NIH), currently by the Sustaining Outstanding Achievement in Research award, and by the National Cancer Institute/NIH. She received the Distinguished Scientist Award for Oral Medicine and Pathology Research from the International Association of Dental Research, and the Rod Cawson Prize from the International Association of Oral Pathologists and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. Dr. D'Silva is a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, which is her area of clinical practice. She enjoys teaching and mentoring, and is a recipient of the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research Distinguished Mentor award.