Dr. Subhra Mohapatra, a professor at the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine and research career scientist at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital, has been inducted into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame. The announcement, made in 2025, recognizes her work in nanotechnology and molecular medicine. Her research has contributed to the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and neurological diseases over the past twenty years.
Dr. Mohapatra has developed several technologies that have moved from laboratory research to clinical use. One of her key achievements is the ‘tumor-on-a-dish’ technology. This method allows scientists to grow small tumors on a polymeric matrix for drug sensitivity testing. The technology has been commercialized and is used in preclinical cancer drug testing worldwide. She has also worked on COVID-19 diagnostics and nanomedicine applications for traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Mohapatra began her scientific career in India. She earned a PhD in Immunology from the University of Manitoba in Canada and completed postdoctoral research at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center. Her research focused on cell cycle regulation and the immune system’s role in cancer…