Dr. J. Silvio Gutkind is Chief of the Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health (NIH, DHHS). He received his Ph.D. in pharmacy and biochemistry from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. His laboratory has addressed the molecular basis of cancer by studying normal and aberrant functions of molecules involved in the transduction of proliferative signals. He also leads a multi-institutional effort aimed to elucidate the molecular changes that contribute to the evolution of squamous cell carcinomas.