Hadiyah-Nicole Green, PhD

• Founder, Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation

• Asst Professor, Dept of Surgery Morehouse School of Medicine
• Director, NanoBioPhotonics and Targeted Cancer Therapeutics
Laboratory

• DrGreen@OraLee.org | @DrHadiyahGreen
• OraLee.org | @OraLeeOrg

HIGHLIGHTS
• Lead inventor on 4 patent-pending systems for targeted cancer therapy and nanoparticle fabrication
• Awarded $2.3 million for developing targeted cancer treatment research by Department of Veterans Affairs
• Nationally celebrated STEM Trailblazer
• USA Today, 100 Women of the Century; Business Insider, Top 30 under 40 in HealthCare
• More than 14 million views on Facebook, NewsOne Now with Roland Martin Television Interview
• 11 peer-elected leadership positions and more than 1,000 volunteer service hours
• Top Secret Security Clearance with the United States Department of Defense

EDUCATION
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Physics PhD, 2012
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Physics MS, 2009
Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University Physics BS, 2003

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS
2016-present Research Scientist – Department of Veterans Affairs
• Further develop innovations pertaining to the targeted and site-specific cancer therapies
developed using lasers and nanotechnology as a Career Development Award and Merit
Review Award Recipient.
• VA Oncology Clinical Trials Working Group – Atlanta VA Medical Center.
• Service: Diversity and Inclusion Outreach and Atlanta VA Mentoring Committee.

2016-present Assistant Professor of Surgery - Morehouse School of Medicine - Atlanta, Georgia

• Establishing a competitive research program in NanoBioPhotonics and Targeted Cancer
Therapeutics.
• Research interests: cancer therapies, photo-nano-therapies, biomarker targeting, and drug
delivery.

2013-2016 Assistant Professor of Physics - Tuskegee University - Tuskegee, Alabama

• Teaching area: Physics. Adjunct appointments in Biological Sciences and Materials Science
Departments.
• University service: Advisor for Mr. and Miss Tuskegee University, Honors Program
Committee Member, planning committee for technology implementation (university wide
committee).
2 • Hadiyah-Nicole Green, PhD

2012 Post-Doctoral Researcher - Nanyang Technological University - Singapore, Singapore

• Developed protocol for nano-polymer hybrid thin film fabrication for drug delivery.
• Mentored and trained undergraduate students in nanoparticle fabrication and
characterization techniques.

2005-2012 Research Associate - The University of Alabama at Birmingham - Birmingham, Alabama

Dissertation Title: A Minimally-Invasive Multifunctional Nano-Enabled Approach for Selective Targeting, Imaging,
and NIR Photothermal Therapy of Tumors

Team Leader: initiated a partnership between the Departments of Physics, Pathology, and the Comprehensive
Cancer Center. Performed all aspects of targeting, imaging, and therapy of tumors, which involved project
conception, design, and reduction to practice. This included biocompatible nanoparticle fabrication and
characterization, antibody conjugation chemistry, fluorescent labeling and imaging. This also involved designing
optics, executing laser treatments on cells and mice, and performing histological techniques on tissue samples.

• Established several patent pending protocols. Designed nanoparticle fabrication method

that is 40% more uniform in shape and size and 1/10 the cost of commercially available gold
nanorods.
• Improved upon the field’s standard for post-conjugation antibody binding efficiency by 33%.
• Designed a system to target, image, and treat tumors in mice resulting in ~40% tumor
volume reduction.
• Developed a 10-minute nano-enabled laser treatment that resulted in ~100% elimination of
tumors in mice.
• Certifications in Laser Safety, Radiation Safety, and Electron Microscope operation. Trained
in Animal Research, Clinical & Translational Science, and sterile cell culture technique.
• Taught Physics and Lasers safety courses.

2011-2012 Cancer Research Training Program Intern - MSM/TU/UAB - Birmingham, Alabama

• Analyzed effects of conjugation molar ratios on nanoparticle clustering. Performed detection
assays on cell cultures.
• Trained in Cancer Awareness and Community Outreach.

2009 Department of Defense Laboratory for Physical Sciences Intern - College Park, Maryland
• Obtained Top Secret Security Clearance, secured funding, executed assignments from the
Department of Defense, and conducted experiments at the Laboratory of Physical Science.
• Programmed High Frequency Structural Simulator to characterize nanorods.

2000-2003 Research Assistant - Alabama A&M University - Normal, Alabama

• Assisted laboratory technician in trouble-shooting and protocol development.
• Fabricated and tested fiber-optic Bragg Gratings.

2001, 2002 Summer Intern - University of Rochester, Institute of Optics - Rochester, New York
• Built Optical Michelson Interferometer for measuring dispersion in devices and fibers,
replacing the lab’s existing interferometer. Constructed a device used for dispersion
compensation in Photonic Crystal Fibers.

2000 Flight Project Intern - NASA Marshall Space Flight Center - Huntsville, Alabama
• Minorities in Science and Engineering Scholar appointed to the Flight Projects Directorate.
• Calibrated lasers for International Space Station applications.
3 • Hadiyah-Nicole Green, PhD

PUBLICATIONS
1. Lee, G.Y., et al., & Green HN. (2021). Assessment of a Nano-Docetaxel Combined Treatment for Head and
Neck Cancer. Onco, 1(2), 83-94, https://doi.org/10.3390/onco1020007
2. Mullen, M., Green, H.N., Yang, F., Liu, X. & Yao, X. (2021). Therapeutic efficacy of syntelin mediated
inhibition of CENP-E in triple negative breast cancer. Molecular Pharmacology, (Submitted).
3. Mullen M, Green, H.N., Yang, F., Liu, X. & Yao, X. (2021). Syntelin inhibits triple-negative breast cancer
cell proliferation and metastasis. Journal of Molecular Cell Biology, Volume 13, Issue 11, November 2021,
Pages 834–837, https://doi.org/10.1093/jmcb/mjab054
4. Lee, G.Y., Mubasher, M., Pollack, B.P., McKenzie, T., Cothran, M.B., & Green HN. (2021). Combination
paclitaxel and Laser-Activated NanoTherapy for inducing cell death in head and neck squamous cell
carcinoma. Journal of Nanomedicine and Nanotechnology, 12(1), 557.
5. Lee, G.Y., Myers, J.A., Perez, S.M., Singh, K.P., & Green, H.N. (2020). Cisplatin combined with
laser-activated nanotherapy as an adjuvant therapy for head and neck cancer. International Journal of
Oncology, 57, 1169-1178.
6. Barry, R., Ray, P., & Green, H.N. (2019). Rethinking the Treatment of Pathologic Scars. Biomedical
Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 13(2).
7. Song X, Liu W, Yuan X, Jiang J, Wang W, Mullen M, Green HN, Ding X, Wang D, Yao X, et al. “Acetylation
of ACAP4 Regulates CCL18-Elicited Breast Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion.” Journal of Molecular Cell
Biology 10, no. 6 (2018): 559–72. doi:10.1093/jmcb/mjy058. PMID: 30395269.
8. Duan H, Wang C, Wang M, Gao X, Yan M, Akram S, Peng W, Zou H, Wang D, Zhou J, Chu Y, Dou Z,
Barrett G, Green HN, Wang F, Tian R, He P, Wang W, Liu X, Yao X: Phosphorylation of PP1 regulator
Sds22 by PLK1 ensures accurate chromosome segregation. The Journal of biological chemistry. (2016)
291(50): 26239. PMID: 27941070.
9. Green HN, Crockett S, Martyshkin D, Singh KP, Grizzle W, Rosenthal E, Mirov S: A histological evaluation
and in vivo assessment of intratumoral NIR photothermal nanotherapy induced tumor regression.
International Journal of Nanomedicine. 2014 Nov 5; 9: 5093-102. PMID: 25395847.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25395847/
10. Salaam AD, Hwang P, Poonawalla A, Green HN, Jun HW, Dean D: Nanodiamonds enhance therapeutic
efficacy of doxorubicin in treating metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Nanotechnology 2014
Oct 24; 25(42):425103. doi: 10.1088/0957-4484/25/42/425103. Epub 2014 Oct 3. PMID: 25277401.
11. Salaam AD, Hwang P, McIntosh R, Green HN, Jun HW, Dean D: Nanodiamond-DGEA peptide conjugates
for enhanced delivery of doxorubicin to prostate cancer. Beilstein Journal of Nanotechnology 2014; 5:937-
945. doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.107. PMID: 25161829.
12. Frederick PJ, Green HN, Huang JS, Egger ME, Frieboes HB, Grizzle WE, McNally LR: Chemoresistance
in ovarian cancer linked to expression of microRNAs. Biotechnic & Histochemistry 2013 October; 88(7):
403-409. PMID: 23672416.
13. Green HN, Martyshkin DV, Rodenburg CM, Rosenthal EL, Mirov SB: Gold nanorod bioconjugates for
active tumor targeting and photothermal therapy. The Journal of Nanotechnology 2011; (631753): 753-759.
14. Green HN, Martyshkin DV, Rodenburg CM, Rosenthal EL, Mirov SB: A minimally invasive multifunctional
nanoscale system for selective targeting, imaging, and NIR photothermal therapy of malignant tumors.
Reporters, Markers, Dyes, Nanoparticles, and Molecular Probes for Biomedical Applications III 2011;
(7910): 79100-79109.
15. Saini V, Enervold MR, Perez A, Koploy A, Perkins G, Ellisman MH, Green HN, Mirov SB, Zharov VP,
Everts M: Targeting nanoparticles to tumors using adenoviral vectors. Technical Proceedings of The Nano
Science and Technology Institute Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show: Biomarkers and
Nanoparticles 2007; 2(4): 321-324.
4 • Hadiyah-Nicole Green, PhD

PATENT
1. H. N. Green, Mirov SB, Rosenthal EL, Castellanos PC, Martyshkin DV: Photothermal Nanostructures in
Tumor Therapy. Provisional patent filed in March 2012. Full patent application filed in March 2013. Pub. No.:
US 20130261444A1. Pending.

COMPETITIVE GRANTS, SCHOLARSHIPS, AND FELLOWSHIPS

2022-2027 $1.2 Million Funded Grant, Principal Investigator, Department of Veterans Affairs, Clinical
Science Research and Development (CSR&D) Merit Review Award, CX002353
2016-2021 $1.1 Million Funded Grant, Principal Investigator, Department of Veterans Affairs HBCU
Research Scientist Training Program Career Development Award, 1IK2RX001866-01A1
2014-2015 $10,000 Funded Grant, Principal Investigator, Pre-Pilot Project Award, University of Alabama at
Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Tuskegee University, and Morehouse School of
Medicine (UAB/TU/MSM) Partnership, U54 CA118623 National Institutes of Health/National
Cancer Institute Grant
2011-2012 $20,000 Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) Fellowship, tuition and fees
2007-2012 $100,000 National Physical Science Consortium Fellowship
2005-2007 $60,000 National Science Foundation Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship plus tuition and fees
2003-2009 $100,000 David and Lucile Packard Foundation, American Association for the Advancement of
Science Fellowship
2002 $1,000 NASA Space Grant Consortium Scholarship
2001 $1,000 Tom Joyner Morning Show Scholarship
1999-2003 Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University Presidential Scholarship for tuition, room,
board, fees and books

AWARDS AND HONORS

2021 50 Champions for The Culture, Forbes
2021 Pioneer of the Year Award, National Society of Black Engineers
2021 28 Dream in Black Future Makers, AT&T
2020 Scientist to Watch, The Scientist Magazine
2020 100 Women of the Century, USA Today
2020 STEM Hero, Women’s History Month Feature, STEM Awareness Campaign, General Electric
2020 1,000 Most Inspiring Black Scientists in America, Cell Press
2019 Top 30 Under 40 in Healthcare, named by Business Insider
2019 STEAM Hero, Black History Month Feature, STEAM Awareness Campaign, Verizon
2018 BET Her Cancer Advocate of the Year Award, Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign, BET
Television Station, Online and Social Media Channels
2018 Professional Achievement in Industry Award, Women of Color in STEM, Career
Communications Group, Inc.
2018 Women of Power Honor, named by Black Enterprise Magazine as one of 25 Black Women Who
are Changing the World
2018 STEM’s New Guard, named by Essence Magazine as one of 15 Women Who Are Paving the
Way and Paying it Forward
5 • Hadiyah-Nicole Green, PhD

2017 Unseen Stars Honor, featured on the ceiling of Grand Central Station as one of 12 women
leaders in science, sponsored by General Electric, New York, New York
2017 National Trailblazer of the Year Award, 100 Black Men of America, Inc., New Orleans, Louisiana
2017 Black History Achievement Award, Berean SDA Church, Atlanta, Georgia
2016 Power100, named by EBONY Magazine as one of the 100 most influential African Americans in
the United States
2016 The Root 100, named by The Root Magazine as one of the 100 most influential African
Americans leaders in the United States, New York, New York
2016 Distinguished Trailblazer Award, The National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Metropolitan
Atlanta Chapter
2016 Research Advocate of the Year Award, Southern Company
2016 National Icon Award, City of Selma, Selma, Alabama
2011 Best Abstract Award Recipient, Summer Cancer Research Training Program Annual Meeting,
Birmingham, Alabama
2011 Best Poster Award Recipient, 3rd International Conference on Nanotechnology (IC4N),
Heraklion, Crete, Greece
2011 2nd Place Poster Award Recipient, Nano-Biophotonics Summer Institute, University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign, Illinois
2007 National Science Foundation Graduate Student Research Program Fellowship Honorable
Mention
2007 Platinum Poster Award Recipient, National Science Foundation Experimental Program to
Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), Waikoloa, Hawaii
2003 Who’s Who Among American College Students
2003 The National Dean’s List
2002 Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University President’s Cup Award 4.0 GPA
2001 Torch Bearer Award, National Society of Black Engineers

KEYNOTE, INVITED AND CONTRIBUTED LECTURES

2021 Panelist, Research Partnerships Program, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
2021 Keynote Speaker, SciCafe, McWane Science Center, Birmingham, Alabama
2018 Invited Speaker, NPR sponsored “Ask a Scientist” Session, Atlanta Science, Public
Broadcasting Atlanta, Historic Academy of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
2018 Keynote Speaker, STEM Forward Conference: Shattering the STEM Ceiling, University of
Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
2017 Panelist, STEM Diversity Program, Hewlett Packard Enterprise Headquarters, Palo Alto,
California
2017 Session Speaker, Otolaryngology Session,101st Pacific Coast Oto-Ophthalmological Society
Meeting, Big Island, Hawaii
2017 Featured Speaker, National Convention for 100 Black Men of America, Inc., New Orleans,
Louisiana
2017 Invited Speaker, Deep South Resource Center for Minority Aging Research Advisory
Committee Meeting, Atlanta, Georgia
2017 Keynote Speaker, iPraxis STEM Middle School Program, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6 • Hadiyah-Nicole Green, PhD

2017 Featured Speaker, Culture Shifting Awards Brunch, Menlo Park, California
2017 Invited Speaker, Research Day, Department of Veterans Affairs, Birmingham Medical Center,
Birmingham, Alabama
2016 Featured Speaker, Congressional Black Caucus Gala, Washington, D.C.
2016 Keynote Speaker, Thornton Fractional North High School, Calumet City, Illinois
2016 Featured Speaker, Culture Shifting Think Tank, Menlo Park, California
2016 Invited Speaker, STEM Alabama Afterschool Community Network Conference, Jefferson State
Community College, Birmingham, Alabama
2016 Keynote Speaker, Athens State University, Women’s Leadership Symposium, Athens,
Alabama
2015 Invited Speaker, Grand Rounds, Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Children’s Hospital, University of
Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama
2014 Contributed Talk, UAB/MSM/TU Partnership Advisory Committee Annual Meeting,
Birmingham, Alabama
2014 Keynote Speaker, Materials Science Engineering and Integrated Biosciences Program,
Tuskegee University, Tuskegee, Alabama
2014 Keynote Speaker, Statewide Science and Technology Open House, National Science
Foundation Alabama EPSCoR, Montgomery, Alabama
2014 Invited Speaker, Seminar Series, College of Veterinary Medicine, Tuskegee University,
Tuskegee, Alabama
2014 Invited Speaker, Seminar Series, Biology Department, Morehouse College, Atlanta, Georgia
2013 Invited Speaker, NanoBio Summit, National Science Foundation Alabama EPSCoR and
Alabama State University, Montgomery, Alabama
2011 Contributed Talk and Poster Presentation, Summer Cancer Research Training Program,
Birmingham, Alabama
2011 Contributed Talk, SPIE (The International Society for Optics and Photonics) Conference, San
Francisco, California
2009 Invited Speaker, Seminar Series, Laboratory for Physical Sciences, College Park, Maryland

SYNERGISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

2021-present Advisory Council on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Member, Syneos Health
2021 ABC News Feature, “Black scientist fights to fund her potential cancer laser treatment: Bias in
health funding”
2018 Forbes feature of Quora Session community outreach articles “How close are we to the cure for
cancer?” and “Can cancer be cured without chemotherapy?”
2018 Apple News feature of Quora Session community outreach articles “What are some alternative
cancer treatments if chemotherapy does not work?” and “What does cancer research do?”
2017 CBS 42, Television Special Feature, “Local War on Cancer” with Sherri Jackson
2017 History Channel, Interview Feature, History Now
2017 NPR, Radio Interview, On Second Thought with Celeste Headlee
2017 President’s Cancer Panel on Pricing and Payment Strategies for Cancer Drugs, Panelist,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
2017-present Karen Hunter Show, Radio Interview, Wellness Wednesdays
2016 NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, Television Show Guest, more than 14 million views on
7 • Hadiyah-Nicole Green, PhD

Facebook
2016 Black Enterprise TechConneXt Technology Summit: The Intersection of Innovation and
Opportunity, Panelist, San Francisco, California
2016 Tom Joyner Morning Show, Radio Interview, Wellness Wednesdays
2016 PBS, Television Interview, “Spotlight on Education” with Don Dailey
2016-present Founding President, Ora Lee Smith Cancer Research Foundation
2016-2018 Newspaper and magazine feature articles including NBC News, New York Times, Forbes,
People.com, Huffington Post, Madam Noire, The Pittsburgh Courier, Rolling Out, Vice, Essence,
Ebony, Black Enterprise, US Black Engineer, BET.com, Face2Face Africa, Huntsville Times,
BlackDoctor.org and Style Blueprint
2015 Faculty Research and Education Development Program, Scholar, American Society for Cell
Biology Minority Affairs Committee, National Science Foundation
2014 Health Disparities Research Training Program for Junior Faculty, Scholar, Minority Health and
Health Disparities Research Center
2013 Competent Communicator, Toastmasters International Organization for Public Speaking
2012 Electrochemical Society, Member
2012 American Association for Cancer Research, Member
2011 Student Representative to Congress, Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers
(SPIE)
2009-present Radio and television show guest appearances to encourage women and minorities to pursue
S.T.E.M. careers
2008-2010 Golden Key Honor Society, Undergraduate Student Advisor, Member
2005-present Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., Physical Health Awareness Advocate
2003-2009 Member, American Association for the Advancement of Science
2002-2003 Official University Spokesperson, Miss Alabama A&M University
2002 National Society of Black Physics Students Conference, Program Committee Member
2002 National Society of Black Engineers, Outreach Committee Member
2000-present Volunteer Physics and Math Tutor, Student Mentor, and Teen Summit Motivational Speaker
1999-2003 Founding President, Greater St. Louis Student Association