Marie Ricciardone, Ph.D.

Marie D. Ricciardone, PhD, is a Program Officer in the Center for Global Health at the National Cancer Institute, where she leads the development of the Center’s research and training initiatives in the Middle East and North Africa. Her research interests include tobacco control, cancer prevention, implementation science, and global cancer research training. Dr. Ricciardone has extensive international experience in biomedical research, education, public policy, and program management. As an NCI Embassy Science Fellow in Oman, she worked with the Ministry of Health and the National Oncology Hospital to develop a National Cancer Control Program.

Prior to joining NCI, Dr. Ricciardone co-launched a molecular biology and genetics program at Bilkent University and led a research program on hereditary colon cancer in Turkey. She collaborated with Egyptian colleagues in Cairo to evaluate the vaccine potential of schistosome antigens. As an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Fellow at the Department of State, she helped negotiate the multilateral convention against Persistent Organic Pollutants; and later, as a Foreign Affairs Officer, led the U.S. cooperative threat reduction program to transition Libyan weapons scientists to peaceful scientific research. Overseas, she also directed USAID development programs in Afghanistan and the Philippines. Dr. Ricciardone received a PhD in Chemistry at The American University in Washington, DC.