Wright State's Madhavi Kadakia Honored by AAMC for National Research Leadership
Key Insights
Madhavi Kadakia, Ph.D., was recognized by the AAMC for her leadership on the GRAND Steering Committee, a national forum for research leaders at medical schools and teaching hospitals.
Kadakia helped plan GRAND's annual meeting, shaped programming priorities, and represented Wright State's perspective in federal policy discussions affecting academic medicine.
Her work contributed to GRAND's evolution into the broader Biomedical Research Advancement, Training and Oversight Group under the AAMC.
Madhavi Kadakia, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Wright State University's Boonshoft School of Medicine and College of Science and Mathematics, has been recognized by the Association of American Medical Colleges (search) (AAMC) for her leadership on the Steering Committee for the Group on Research Advancement and Development (GRAND). GRAND serves as a national forum for research leaders at medical schools and teaching hospitals across the country.
AAMC President and CEO David Skorton, M.D., acknowledged Kadakia's contributions, stating, "Your dedication has been critical to the success of the GRAND, the academic medicine community and the AAMC, and your leadership has been even more invaluable as we prepare to launch our new affinity group structure."
Shaping National Conversations in Academic Medicine
As a steering committee member, Kadakia helped plan GRAND's annual meeting, shaped its programming priorities, and represented Wright State's perspective among peer institutions. She also collaborated with colleagues nationwide to weigh in on federal policy changes affecting academic medicine.
"I think it matters a lot for Wright State faculty to be in rooms like that," Kadakia said. "Serving in a role like this means we're not just hearing about best practices after the fact, but we are helping shape them and building relationships with peer institutions that pay off long after the meeting ends."
The role placed her alongside research deans and leaders confronting the same pressures she faced at Wright State, providing a real-time sounding board for shared challenges. "This experience has shaped how I think about leadership at Wright State," she added, "being more intentional about building external partnerships and advocating for research infrastructure."
Evolving the Committee Structure
Kadakia also helped guide GRAND's evolution into a broader AAMC committee, the Biomedical Research Advancement, Training and Oversight Group, which consolidates several affiliated groups into a single committee. "It's exciting to know the work is feeding into something even bigger going forward," she said.
A Distinguished Career in Cancer Research and Leadership
Kadakia's national service builds on an extensive record. She was a Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) program in 2019 and has served on National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense panels reviewing federal research grants. She also sits on editorial boards for scientific journals and has presented her research at conferences worldwide.
An internationally recognized cancer researcher, Kadakia studies the molecular pathways involved in cancer development and leads an NIH-funded laboratory investigating new approaches to treating squamous cell carcinoma (search).
At Wright State, she served as vice provost for research and innovation from 2021 to 2025, where she helped expand collaborations with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the Air Force Research Laboratory, and industry, government, and academic partners. She previously served as chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and associate dean of research affairs of the Boonshoft School of Medicine. She returned to the faculty in 2025 and continues to mentor the next generation of biomedical researchers.