President Emeritus of the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer HospitalASCO 2024, Developmental Therapeutics, Gastrointestinal Cancers, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, Women's Health
Dr. Kunz is an international leader in the treatment and clinical research of patients with GI malignancies and neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). She holds several leadership positions in the field including President Emeritus of the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society, recent past Chair of the Neuroendocrine Tumor Taskforce of the National Cancer Institute, and member of the FDA’s Oncology Drug Advisory Committee. She also currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief for JCO Oncology Advances. In addition to her focus on NETs, she is a leading voice for promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in medicine. She served as the Vice Chief of DEI for the Section of Medical Oncology at Yale School of Medicine and, in 2021, she was awarded ‘Woman Oncologist of the Year’ by Women Leaders in Oncology for her work in promoting gender equity.
Co-Director, Colorectal Program in the Center for Gastrointestinal Cancers
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer HospitalASCO 2024, DNA Repair, Gastroinestinal cancer, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, Pancreatic Cancer, Rectal Cancer
Michael Cecchini, MD, is a medical oncologist who specializes in gastrointestinal cancers, including (but not limited to) colorectal, bile duct, pancreas, esophageal, and stomach cancers. He often cares for patients with advanced gastrointestinal cancers and is an investigator in multiple research trials to help them get treatments that are not always available elsewhere.
“Taking care of patients and spending the time to get to know them is the best part of my job,” Dr. Cecchini says. It helps to draw upon the diverse expertise of colleagues at Smilow and those in non-cancer specialties, he adds. “At Yale we have an excellent multidisciplinary team that will work hard to treat your cancer, manage your symptoms, and deliver the care you deserve as a patient.”
Dr. Cecchini was inspired to become a cancer specialist partly because he wanted to have opportunities to perform research to improve options for his patients. “Few specialties are so integrated with close patient relationships and translational research that can dramatically improve the lives of our patients and minimize side effects,” he says. His translational research includes clinical and lab projects to study DNA damage and the immune response, primarily for colorectal cancer. He is the recipient of a Young Investigator Award from the Conquer Cancer Foundation for research focused on metastatic gastric cancer and 2020 Scholar on the Yale Cancer Center K12 Calabresi Immuno-Oncology Training Program.
Professor of Medicine and Urology at Yale School of Medicine
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer HospitalASCO 2024, Bladder Cancer, Immunotherapy, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, Obesity, Prostate Cancer
As Professor of Medicine and Urology at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Daniel P. Petrylak is a pioneer in the research and development of new drugs and treatments to fight prostate, bladder, kidney and testicular cancer. For patients fighting these types of cancers, Petrylak finds recent developments in the field of immunotherapy particularly promising. “Up until recently, bladder cancer had not seen any major advancement in more than 30 years,” he says. “Studies are ongoing, but interim results are exciting so far.”
At the Smilow Cancer Hospital, Dr. Petrylak’s position as a national leader on clinical trials for men with prostate and bladder cancer has opened up a world of treatment options for patients in New England. “We offer the latest investigational drugs for these conditions, while providing the highest level of care,” he says.
Dr. Petrylak received his MD from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and joined the Yale faculty in 2012. In addition to his role as professor, he is also a member of the Cancer Signaling Networks Research Program at Yale Cancer Center, which studies how cancer stem cells are regulated in the body and communicate with surrounding tissue. Roughly 40 physicians and scientists in the program work together to develop the best methods for matching patients with the appropriate cancer drugs.
One of Dr. Petrylak’s key goals is to continue to successfully translate basic research into clinical practice. “One of the most significant accomplishments in my career was moving docetaxel (an antineoplastic agent) therapy for the most advanced form of prostate cancer from phase I to III,” he says. “We ran a trial which supported its approval for the most advanced form of prostate cancer.”
Dr. Petrylak currently serves as either the principal investigator or co-principal investigator on seven Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) clinical trials for genitourinary cancers. To date, he has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed articles on prostate and bladder cancer research.
Professor of Medicine at Yale University
Yale Cancer Center/Smilow Cancer HospitalASCO 2024, Biomedical Informatics, Breast Cancer, Computational Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology
Lajos Pusztai, MD, DPhil, is a medical oncologist who specializes in breast cancer. He is the co-director of the Genomics, Genetics, and Epigenetics Program at the Yale Cancer Center.
He says he enjoys the delicate work of helping patients overcome the fear and shock of a breast cancer diagnosis. “I ensure that they maximize their chance of cure through the best available treatments,” he says. “I also love the research component of my job, to push the boundaries of existing knowledge and developing new therapies.”
Dr. Pusztai says he gravitated to medical oncology at the beginning of his career because of an inspiring mentor, and that the best part of his job is seeing patients remain disease-free for years and continuing with their life.
He is chair of the Breast Cancer Research Committee of the South West Oncology Group (SWOG), a global cancer research community that designs and conducts publicly funded clinical trials. His research group has made important contributions to establish that estrogen receptor-positive and-negative breast cancers have fundamentally different molecular, clinical, and epidemiological characteristics.
He has been a pioneer in evaluating gene expression profiling as a diagnostic technology to predict chemotherapy and endocrine therapy sensitivity and has shown that different biological processes are involved in determining the prognosis and treatment response in different breast cancer subtypes. Dr. Pusztai is also the principal investigator of several clinical trials investigating new drugs, including immunotherapies for breast cancer.
ASCO 2024, Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, Prostate Cancer, Public Health
Dr. Sarmad Sadeghi earned his medical degree at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. He has a Master of Science degree (MS) in Health Information Sciences and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Public Health Management and Policy Sciences from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston.
He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He completed his hematology/oncology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. Dr. Sadeghi joined the faculty at the division of oncology of University of Southern California in 2013 and has a clinical and research focus in genitourinary malignancies, specifically bladder, kidney and prostate cancers.
Dr. Sadeghi is the study chair and principal investigator of a number of multicenter clinical trials and is also an active member of SWOG cooperative group and the California Cancer Consortium.
Dr. Sadeghi is well published with several original articles and abstracts in peer reviewed journals and international meetings.
ASCO 2024, Gene Therapy, Head & Neck Cancer, Hematology, Immunotheapy, Internal Medicine, Lung Cancer, Oncology
Dr. Jorge Nieva graduated from the University of California, Irvine College of Medicine in 1997, trained in internal medicine at University of California, San Diego and in oncology and hematology at the Scripps Clinic. In 2003 he joined the faculty of the Scripps Research Institute and the medical staff of the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, CA. While at Scripps, Dr. Nieva pioneered new technology for the detection of cancer cells in the peripheral blood and discoveries related to the fundamental mechanisms of the immune system.
Dr. Nieva was recruited to the Billings Clinic in Montana in 2007 where he served as department chair and was a program leader who established the multidisciplinary lung cancer and head/neck cancer clinics at the cancer center. While in Billings, Dr. Nieva led efforts to establish a research program in virus-delivered cancer gene therapy and immunotherapy. His teams were awarded certificates for excellence in the conduct of cancer clinical trials from the National Cancer Institute and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Nieva returned to California, joining the faculty of the Keck School of Medicine in 2014.
Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Gastrointestinal, Hematology, Internal Medicine, Oncology, Tumors
Dr. El-Khoueiry completed his medical degree, residency in internal medicine and fellowship in hematology and oncology at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. He is currently associate professor of clinical medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology, a member of the Gastrointestinal Cancers Program and director of the phase I drug development clinical program. He has been the medical director of the Clinical Investigations Support Office at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center since 2007.
His primary research interests include the development of novel drugs for the treatment of solid tumors, especially gastrointestinal malignancies, the design and conduct of phase I and II clinical trials to test these drugs, and translational research focused on developing prognostic and predictive markers in patients with GI malignancies. Dr. El-Khoueiry has established a national reputation in the area of hepatobiliary cancers clinical research; he is the co-chair of the hepatobiliary cancers committee of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) hepatobiliary cancers task force. He is the principal investigator on several clinical trials that are evaluating the role of novel drugs for the treatment of biliary and hepatocellular cancers.
As the phase I program director, Dr. El-Khoueiry has formed an experienced and highly skilled phase I clinical research team and established an efficient infrastructure for the conduct of high quality and innovative phase I studies. He has also worked with basic scientists at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center to design phase I studies to test novel compounds or novel combinations that had undergone pre-clinical testing at USC.
Dr. El-Khoueiry is frequently invited to give lectures nationally about gastrointestinal malignancies, particularly hepatobiliary cancers, and has a large number of peer-reviewed publications in his areas of research.
Asst. Professor of Clinical Medical Oncology
University of Miami Health System, Miller School of MedicineASCO 2024, Cancer, Hematology - Oncology, Internal Medicine, Lung Cancer
Coral Olazagasti, MD is an assistant professor at the Sylvester Cancer Center, University of Miami at Miami, Florida. Dr. Olazagasti developed an interest in lung cancer screening while witnessing that the majority of new referrals during an outpatient oncology elective presented with advanced stages of lung cancer. Being a Latina physician, she is personally invested in ethnic and racial disparities in the medical field and has drawn on her own experiences to highlight the inequities and barriers that minority patients face in healthcare. She hopes to continue to expand her research passions and help close the gap for minorities and vulnerable populations.
ASCO 2024, Internal Medicine, Oncology
ASCO 2024, Internal Medicine
ASCO 2024, Internal Medicine
ASCO 2024, Internal Medicine
ASCO 2024, Cancer, Internal Medicine, Lung Cancer, thoracic malignancies
Sawsan Rashdan, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She specializes in treating thoracic malignancies. She is the Director of Thoracic Medical Oncology Clinical Operations.
Dr. Rashdan earned her medical degree at the Faculty of Medicine of Damascus University in Syria. She performed her residency in internal medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where she also completed advanced fellowship training in hematology and oncology.
Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in hematology and medical oncology, she joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2016.
Dr. Rashdan’s research focuses on lung cancer, and she has published a number of academic articles on the subject. She has received funding to pilot a clinical trial to investigate the role of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) plus osimertinib as first-line treatment in epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Additionally, she is the Division Quality Officer as well as the Director of Health Equity in the division of hematology and oncology, leading the effort to reduce inequities of health care and increase access of cancer prevention education in minority groups.
Dr. Rashdan also spends time teaching the trainees at UTSW, she leads the lung cancer curriculum for the hematology and oncology fellows at Parkland. In addition to mentoring many fellows, residents, and medical students.
She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and the Dallas County Medical Society as well as American Muslim Women Physicians Association. She is also a member of several committees including: Supporting Women in Achieving Greatness, and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee in the Department of Internal Medicine at UTSW.
ASCO 2024, Cancer, Hematology - Oncology, Internal Medicine
Jonathan Dowell, M.D., is a Professor in the at UT Southwestern, and a member of the . He also serves as Chief of Hematology/Oncology at the Dallas VA Medical Center.
Dr. Dowell specializes primarily in thoracic malignancies, including non-small cell and small cell lung cancers, mesothelioma, and thymoma.
Dr. Dowell earned his bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he graduated magna cum laude. He received his medical degree from the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Medicine and completed internal medicine residency training at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He then completed advanced training through a fellowship in hematology and oncology at Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in hematology and in oncology, Dr, Dowell joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 1996.
Dr. Dowell’s research interests include thoracic malignancies. His investigations have resulted in 40 publications in peer-reviewed journals and contributions to more than 50 book chapters, reviews, editorials, and case reports. Additionally, he has presented his findings at scientific conferences throughout the United States and internationally.
At UT Southwestern, Dr. Dowell chairs the Simmons Cancer Center Data and Safety Monitoring Committee and co-chairs the Dallas VA Transfusion Utilization Committee and the Veterans Integrated Service Network 17 Hematology/Oncology Work Group.
Dr. Dowell is active in several professional societies, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the American Society of Hematology, the Texas Medical Association, and the Dallas County Medical Society.
ASCO 2024, Hematology, Internal Medicine, Lung Cancer, Oncology
David Gerber, M.D., is a Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a member of its Division of Hematology/Oncology. He serves as Associate Director of Clinical Research for Simmons Cancer Center.
Originally from Chicago, Dr. Gerber holds a bachelor's degree in history from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, where he graduated cum laude. He earned his medical degree at Cornell University Medical College in New York, and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at UT Southwestern, where he served as Chief Resident. He then received advanced training through a fellowship in medical oncology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore.
Board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology, Dr. Gerber joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2007.
Dr. Gerber is active in research related to lung cancer, including clinical trials. His research has generated more than 250 publications that he has authored or co-authored, including articles and book chapters. His studies have contributed to invitations to lecture both nationally and internationally.
He serves on several committees at UT Southwestern. Beyond the institution, he serves as Chair of the Clinical Trials Advisory Committee for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) and is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Oncology Research Program Investigator Steering Committee.
Dr. Gerber holds memberships in several professional organizations, and he has been honored with numerous awards, including being named a Best Doctor in Dallas by D Magazine during the years of 2011-2023.
ASCO 2024, Internal Medicine
ASCO 2024, Internal Medicine
Dr. Rupal Chhabra, DO is an internal medicine specialist in West Harrison, NY and has over 17 years of experience in the medical field. She graduated from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2006. She is affiliated with medical facilities White Plains Hospital and Phelps Hospital. She is not accepting new patients.
ASCO 2024, Hematology - Oncology, Internal Medicine
ASCO 2024, Diabetes, endicronology, Internal Medicine
Community Health, Health Disparities, Health Equity, Internal Medicine, Public Health
Yvens Laborde, MD, leads Ochsner’s community health programs and promotes the organization’s outreach programs to improve health outcomes for at-risk populations. He was a founding member of the Ochsner Health Disparities Task Force.
Since joining Ochsner in 1995, Dr. Laborde has served in a number of leadership positions while maintaining a clinical practice. He led efforts in establishing the first inpatient hospital medicine service in New Orleans’ Westbank area, where he also served as medical director for Ochsner nursing home patients. He was an early adopter of incorporating advanced practice providers into his practice.
A native of Port au Prince, Haiti, Dr. Laborde was instrumental in Ochsner’s relief efforts in Haiti following the devastating 2010 earthquake. He served as a co-leader of Ochsner’s on-the-ground relief efforts in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian in 2019.
Dr. Laborde completed his undergraduate studies in New Orleans then earned a medical degree from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport. He completed an internship in internal medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans and a residency in internal medicine at Ochsner Health System. He is board certified in internal medicine.
He is the first Black physician elected to the Ochsner Health System board of directors and served two terms from 2006-2013. Among his numerous professional honors, he was a finalist for the 2017 U.S. Cooperative for International Patient Programs International Humanitarian and Global Health Leader Award.