Clinical Focus

  • Anatomic and Clinical Pathology

Academic Appointments

Honors & Awards

  • NIH Director's Transformative Research Award, NIH (2021-2026)
  • NIH Pathway to Independence (K99/R00), NIH (2019-2023)

Professional Education

  • Residency: Stanford University Pathology Residency (2022) CA
  • Residency: Emory University Radiation Oncology Residency GA
  • Internship: Emory University Internal Medicine Primary Care Residency (2014) GA
  • Medical Education: Emory University Medical School (2013) GA
  • Residency: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center CA

Contact

  • Clinical (Primary)  Pathology 300 Pasteur Dr Rm 204B MC 5324 Stanford, CA 94305 (650) 723-7409 (fax)

Additional Clinical Info

Current Research and Scholarly Interests

Broadly, the Okwan lab’s primary interest is to understand how and why the immune system contributes to nearly all chronic diseases. The immune system of the modern human has evolved from a history of stress to the species: famines, continual bouts of lethal pandemics, as well as major climate/environmental and migratory changes that exposed the immune system to novel threats. At the forefront of these challenges are innate immune cells, particularly neutrophils, the most abundant leukocytes. For the first time in human history – at least in the western world- we live in an era of abundance. The Okwan lab is interested in understanding how this traumatic history creates a functional mismatch for the neutrophil, which we believe underpins their roles in chronic diseases of the modern era: cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurodegeneration, and autoimmune disorders. Rather than wholesale depletion of neutrophils and innate immune cells, we seek to identify novel approaches to leverage these cells to combat various diseases.

2026-27 Courses

Graduate and Fellowship Programs

All Publications

  • Neutrophils in Cancer Nature Reviews Cancer Diehl, M. I., Basto, P. A., Abikenari, M. A., Linde, I., Okwan, D., Engleman, E. 2026

    Abstract

    Neutrophils, long appreciated for their central role in host defences, have largely pro-tumorigenic effects in cancer owing to their sensitivity to signals in the tumour environment. Cancers regularly co-opt the functions of neutrophils to promote angiogenesis, immunosuppression, tumour growth and metastasis. However, depending on context, many of the same neutrophil-derived factors involved in these processes can mediate tumour cell killing. In this Review, we examine the functions of neutrophils and their impact on cancer, drawing parallels between their roles in cancer and non-cancer contexts, and highlighting their remarkable sensitivity to environmental cues. We call attention to promising strategies for targeting and manipulating neutrophils for the treatment of cancer.

    View details for DOI 10.1038/s41568-026-00968-2

    View details for PubMedCentralID 12055240