I am a surgical oncologist and translational scientist who treats solid tumors, including pancreatic cancer, primary and
metastatic liver cancers, gastric cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, and melanoma. My research training began at the
University of Michigan under the mentorship of Drs. James Mulé and Alfred Chang in tumor immunology. These
early studies of dendritic cell-based cancer vaccines set the stage for my interest in cancer biology and immunology.
Since that time, I have continued my research and clinical training in surgical oncology and solid tumor biology and
immunology. I completed a Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. I have >350
peer-reviewed publications with an emphasis on solid tumor biology, caner genomics, novel diagnostics and treatment,
and outcomes. I began my career after fellowship at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.
I served on faculty (2011 – 2025) and as Chief of Surgical Oncology (2019 – 2025) and served as founding Director
of the Washington University Solid Tumor Tissue Bank and Registry. I also co-led the Solid Tumor Therapeutics
Program (STTP) and the Melanoma and Cutaneous Oncology Program at the Alvin J. Siteman NCI-designated
Comprehensive Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.
In July 2025, I assumed the role as the Seymor Schwartz Professor and Chair of the Department of Surgery at the
University of Rochester Medical Center and School of Medicine and Dentistry. I also now serve as Associate Director
for Translational Research at the NCI-designated James P. Wilmot Cancer Institute at the University of Rochester.
I have been continuously funded by the NCI for the past 12 years. My research focuses on three main areas: (1)
mechanisms of cancer metastases, (2) cancer “-omics”, and (3) novel in vitro and small animal models of cancer. We
directly compare primary and metastatic solid tumors, leveraging our expertise and strength in high-quality
biospecimen procurement and science. In conjunction with collaborators at The McDonnell Genome Institute at
Washington University, we employ comparative genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenetic techniques to identify
differences in molecular profiles between metastatic and primary tumor tissue. Pathways found to be critical in the
acquisition of a metastatic phenotype are further explored. This has led to the creation of the multi-disciplinary “Team
Science” Cancer Genomics working group, which fosters multi-PI projects and collaborations.
In the area of cancer modeling, we are working to improve the pre-treatment evaluation of diagnostics and therapeutics
by developing novel small animal and in vitro models of cancer. I am the PI of an NCI-R01 to develop a humanized
mouse model of cancer to evaluate cancer biology and immunology and was the PI of an NCI-R21 to develop a novel
“tumor-on-a-chip” high-throughput, in vitro model system.
I have significant expertise and experience leading large-scale human tumor collection efforts. I served as Co-PI of
Washington University SPORE in Pancreatic Cancer and lead the Biospecimen Core. I was Co-PI of the PDX
Development Unit for the Washington University PDX U54 Clinical Trial Program (PDXNet). I was also Co-PI of
the Washington University “Cancer Moonshot” U2C Human Tumor Atlas Network (HTAN) program that is
evaluating resistance and response to treatment across space and time in pancreatic and breast cancer. As the founding
director of the Solid Tumor Tissue Bank and Registry, I have overseen the collection of >5,000 human tumors and
creation of >30,000 derivatives. We work in a multi-disciplinary, collaborative effort to evaluate and translate these
model systems into tools that can be used to evaluate novel therapeutics in translational oncology internally and around
the world where we have shared this resource extensively with other investigators.
I was also the Co-PI of the Washington University Participant Engagement and Cancer Genome Sequencing (PECGS) Center. In this U2C “Cancer Moonshot” program, we are studying rare and underrepresented cancers of
relevance to our catchment area (cholangiocarcinoma, colorectal cancer in black patients under the age of 50) to better
understand and improve the process of patient engagement and genomic-focused clinical trial participation in rare and
under-studied and under-represented cancers. In addition, I was the Co-PI of the Washington University U54
Senescence Network (SenNet) initiative, which extends our biospecimen science initiatives beyond cancer to study
the process of cellular aging and its impact on human biology and disease.
I also have a strong commitment and interest in surgical and graduate medical education. I was Director of Resident
Research and served as Associate Program Director (2012-2023) for the General Surgery Residency Training Program
at Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University School of Medicine. I was the PI of an NCI R38 StARR training
grant that identifies, recruits, trains, and retains stellar candidates into a mentored research program during their
residency training across various oncology-focused disciplines. I have personally mentored >30 undergraduates,
medical students, residents, and fellows in my laboratory and research program, many whom have gone on to further
training and careers in academic surgical oncology.
