Wright State researcher Madhavi Kadakia helps shape the future of academic medicine

Madhavi Kadakia is a professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Boonshoft School of Medicine and College of Science and Mathematics.

When research deans from medical schools across the country need to compare notes on federal funding or workforce shortages, Madhavi Kadakia, Ph.D., has had a seat at that table.

Kadakia, professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and College of Science and Mathematics, was recently recognized by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for her leadership on the Steering Committee for the Group on Research Advancement and Development, known as GRAND, a national forum for research leaders at medical schools and teaching hospitals.

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 worked with colleagues nationwide to weigh in on federal policy changes affecting academic medicine.

Kadakia said she wanted to ensure Wright State and the Boonshoft School of Medicine had a voice in shaping national conversations about academic medicine.

“I think it matters a lot for Wright State faculty to be in rooms like that,” she 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 put her alongside research deans and leaders wrestling with the same pressures she faced at Wright State, giving her a real-time sounding board instead of having to solve problems alone.

“This experience has shaped how I think about leadership at Wright State,” she said, “being more intentional about building external partnerships and advocating for research infrastructure.”

Kadakia also helped guide GRAND’s evolution into a broader AAMC committee, the Biomedical Research Advancement, Training and Oversight Group, which folds several affiliated groups into a single committee.

“It’s exciting to know the work is feeding into something even bigger going forward,” she said.

AAMC President and CEO David Skorton, M.D., recognized Kadakia’s contributions to the GRAND Steering Committee. “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,” he said.

The role builds on a long record of national service. Kadakia 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 around the world.

An internationally recognized cancer researcher, she studies the molecular pathways involved in cancer development and leads an NIH-funded laboratory investigating new approaches to treating squamous cell carcinoma.

She has paired her research with several leadership roles.

As Wright State’s vice provost for research and innovation from 2021–2025, Kadakia 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.