Faculty | Oncology CE

Harold J Burstein MD PhD

Dr. Burstein is a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

He studied at Harvard College, earned an MD-PhD at HMS, and trained at Mass. General in internal medicine before coming to DFCI. A clinical investigator and scholar, he is a leading contributor to breast cancer guidelines from ASCO, the NCCN, and the St Gallen International Consensus panels, and has served on the US FDA Oncology Drug Advisory Committee. His writings can be found in the leading journals such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, and other medical and online media.

Dr. Aakash Desai

MBBS, MPH is hematology and medical oncology fellow at MayoClinic, Rochester

His research focuses on evidence base in oncology, clinical trials, drug development, cancer care quality, healthcare delivery and global oncology. Dr. Desai received his medical degree from the prestigious B.J Medical College in Ahmedabad, India. He holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

Following this Dr. Desai completed his residency at the University of Connecticut. At the University of Connecticut, he also completed certification in Health Professions Education from University of Connecticut. Subsequently in 2020 he joined the fellowship program in oncology and hematology at the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Desai received the 2021 Conquer Cancer Foundation ASCO Young Investigator Award and 2021 International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Early Career Award. He has also received the Education award at the Targeted Therapies in Lung Cancer Conference 2022 (TTLC22), and the International Cancer Foundation scholarship for the ESMO Targeted Anticancer Therapies (TAT) 2022. Dr. Desai continues to focus on clinical and patient-oriented research in thoracic malignancies with a keen interest in drug development and clinical trials.

Beth Faiman PhD, MSN, SPRN-BC, AOCN, FAAN

Dr. Faiman has become an exemplary leader in bringing critical knowledge in cancer nursing to clinical providers- locally, nationally and internationally.

She demonstrates enthusiasm for continuous learning by conducting innovative research, and has demonstrated the importance of using and integrating new medical knowledge within nursing practices. As an advanced practice nurse at the Cleveland Clinic, she led institutional quality initiatives to lessen chemotherapy wait times for cancer patients. A founding member of the International Myeloma Foundation Nurse Leadership Board since 2006, she also successfully lobbied to enhance nurse prescribing privileges that year. In 2014 she co-developed nurse-led consult clinics to expedite diagnosis and management of thrombosis in cancer patients, and plasma cell disorders. Faiman is a clinical member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) under the Cancer Prevention, Control and Population (CPC) Research Program. Dr. Faiman has established herself as an internationally renowned nurse expert in cancer nursing through her research, publications, and presentations; and more importantly, she has been an initiator of educational forums that bring new knowledge to underserved areas. In 2019 she was acknowledged as a distinguished Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN), appointed to the American Board of Internal Medicine Hematology Specialty Board, and in 2020 appointed as Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Advanced Practitioner in Oncology, the official journal of Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO). Dr. Faiman demonstrates energy for advancing cancer care and immerses herself in national and international programs, services and leadership work within myeloma communities.

Narjust Florez

Thoracic Medical Oncologist, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Associate Director of The Cancer Care Equity Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Member of the Faculty, Harvard Medical School

My primary research interest, along with my clinical work, focuses on improving cancer care for vulnerable patient populations, particularly young patients and women with lung cancer, patients who are members of ethnic and racial minority groups, and those who are economically disadvantaged. I am particularly interested in evaluating delays in diagnosis, unique disease characteristics and survivorship issues faced by young patients with lung cancer, and the power of intersectionality regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, and social determinants of health in these vulnerable populations.

My interest in healthcare disparities dates to my first research project as a medical student. Then, I worked with the Dominican Republic Health Department to improve access to healthcare for the children of Haitian immigrants and developed a state-wide campaign to increase their vaccination rates. Throughout my subsequent years of training, I developed an extensive research portfolio focused on cancer care delivery, patient-reported outcomes, sex and racial differences in response, and tolerability to cancer therapies. I have studied and advocated for including women, minorities, and older adults in oncology clinical trials and have collaborated with large institutions and government agencies to modify clinical trials' exclusion criteria. I continue to support the movement to a more evidence- based approach when formulating exclusion criteria and to increase the recruitment of understudied groups like young adults with cancer and sexual and gender minorities. As junior faculty, I continue to advocate for equal cancer care for ALL, increasing access to therapeutic clinical trials, and evaluating the long-term consequences of new cancer treatment on fertility and sexual health. Over the last three years, I have established national and international collaborations with lung cancer foundations to address the unique issues faced by patients with lung cancer. In the summer of 2020, we launched the Sexual Health Assessment in Women with Lung Cancer (SHAWL) Study in conjunction with the GO2 Foundation for Lung Cancer; this international effort is the largest study evaluating sexual health in women with lung cancer to date. The study closed recruitment of patients in the summer of 2021. We recruited 249 participants across the globe. The study was presented at the 2022 World Conference on Lung Cancer in Vienna, Austria and has received national and international news coverage. Our study showed that 77% of study participants were facing moderate to sexual dysfunction and brought attention to the importance of incorporating sexual health into thoracic oncology care. In addition, during my time at the University of Wisconsin, we created the first clinic in the Midwest dedicated to women with lung cancer. This clinic rapidly 2 grew, receiving referrals from 11 different states across the region. At the 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer, the clinic was awarded the North American Cancer Care Team Award for exceptional clinical care. This award resulted from multiple nominations from patients and caregivers that received care at our specialty clinic. I am the Associate Director of The Cancer Care Equity Program at Dana-Farber institute; in this position, I have developed relationships with the Boston community and continue to expand the program's research portfolio. In addition, I am the leader and founder of the Florez Laboratory. This research group focuses on lung cancer health disparities and social justice issues in medicine, including discrimination & gender bias in academic and clinical medicine. The Florez laboratory has received research funding from several national agencies, published over 20 studies and editorials, and presented research findings at national and international conferences, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, the World Conference on Lung Cancer, and The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting. My clinical and research experience in cancer-related age, gender, race, and class disparities, as well as in medical education, allow for a unique perspective and the ability to conduct national and international studies in lung cancer survivorship, patient reported outcomes, and social justice.

Nicolas Girard MD, PhD

Head of Thoracic Oncology; Institut Curie; Paris, France

Nicolas Girard is a pneumologist specializing in thoracic oncology, for the treatment of patients with lung cancer or rare thoracic cancers. He is experienced in the treatment of thymic tumors—thymomas and thymic carcinomas—as part of his work in the RYTHMIC network. He is domain leader for rare thoracic cancers for the European Reference Network EURACAN.

Nicolas Girard is involved in several clinical and translational research projects aiming at improving the treatment of these cancers. He is the Président of the International Thymic Malignancy Interest Group. He is Professor of Respiratory Medicine at Versailles Saint Quentin University. He is the Head of the Curie-Montsouris Thorax Institute.

Erika P. Hamilton, M.D.

Director, Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Program Sarah Cannon Research Institute/Tennessee Oncology

Dr. Hamilton received her undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University in Virginia and received a NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship.

She then completed her medical degree and residency from University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and fellowship training in oncology at Duke University. She joined Sarah Cannon Research Institute as investigator in drug development for women’s cancers in 2013. In 2015 she became the Director of the Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Program. She sees patients facing breast and gynecologic cancers from standard of care to phase II/III to phase I drug development. Dr. Hamilton is the past Chair of ASCO’s Scientific Committee for Metastatic Breast Cancer for 2019-2020. She serves on the Board of Directors for Susan G Komen middle Tennessee for 3 years running and is an Associate Editor for Clinical Breast Cancer. She was named to the Women to Watch Class of 2021 for Nashville Medical News. She is also in ASCO’s current Leadership Development Class for 2021-2022.

Suneel Kamath, MD

Suneel Kamath, MD is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and a gastrointestinal oncologist at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute in Cleveland, Ohio.

His research program focuses on novel drug development in gastrointestinal cancers, health disparities and strategies to understand and prevent young-onset gastrointestinal cancers. Dr. Kamath received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons. His post-doctoral training included residency in internal medicine and fellowship in hematology/oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. During his time there, he was awarded the Nora Cooney Marra Compassionate Care Award from The Woman’s Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Dr. Kamath is an active member of Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Young-Onset Colorectal Cancer (yoCRC) and has advised the United States Congress on health policy related to yoCRC. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Clinical Practice Guidelines Panel’s (CPGC) Multisite Guidelines Advisory Group and a member of the ASCO Professional Development Committee.

Dr. Pashtoon Kasi, MD, MS

Dr. Pashtoon Kasi, MD, MS is an oncologist and researcher at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. He focuses on treating patients with gastrointestinal (GI) cancers and the treatment of patients with novel drugs/early-phase clinical trials. At Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Kasi additionally serves as the Director for Colorectal Cancer Research, as well as Precision Medicine Director for Liquid Biopsy Research at the Englander Institute of Precision Medicine.

Dr. Kasi received his medical degree from the prestigious Aga Khan University (AKU) in Pakistan in 2006. He did a year of internship at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCSA) in 2009. Following this Dr. Kasi completed his residency at the International Scholars Program (ISP) at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Subsequently in 2016 he completed a fellowship in oncology and hematology at the Mayo Clinic. At the Mayo Clinic, he also completed a post-doctoral master’s program at the Mayo School of Graduate Medical Education (MSGME) in clinical and translational sciences (Masters in Basic Sciences). Prior to joining Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Kasi served as an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Iowa. Before that, he was an Assistant Professor of Medicine and Oncology at both University of Iowa and Mayo Clinic. Dr. Kasi was one of a select few who were appointed to the academic post of Assistant Professor of Oncology and Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic during his fellowship due to his research and academic achievements. Dr. Kasi’s research focus has been on “liquid biopsies” [(circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs)], alongside developing and conducting clinical trials focused on precision oncology and precision medicine. Dr. Kasi is an author and editor of several books including: “Research: What, Why and How: A Treatise from Researchers to Researchers”, and “Impact of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in Patients with Gastrointestinal Malignancies” and has over 100 publications in leading peer-reviewed journals. Additionally, Dr. Kasi has been active as a principal investigator on numerous investigator-initiated, industry-sponsored as well as cooperative group clinical trials in oncology.

Alok A. Khorana, M.D., F.A.C.P, F.A.S.C.O

Alok A. Khorana, M.D., F.A.C.P, F.A.S.C.O, is Professor of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, the Sondra and Stephen Hardis Chair in Oncology Research, Vice-Chair for Academic Development of the Taussig Cancer Institute (part of Case Comprehensive Cancer Center) and Director of the Gastrointestinal Malignancies Program at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio. His clinical and translational research program focuses on predictive factors and drug development in cancer-associated thrombosis and gastrointestinal cancers and has been funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the Hardis Family, the Porter Family Fund, VeloSano, the Cleveland Clinic Center for Excellence, the Scott Hamilton CARES Initiative, Stand Up To Cancer (Colorectal Cancer “Dream Team”) and the V Foundation. Dr. Khorana received his medical degree from Maharaja Sayajirao University’s Medical College in Baroda (now Vadodara, Gujarat), India. His postdoctoral training included a residency in internal medicine at the University at Buffalo in New York and a fellowship in hematology/oncology at the University of Rochester, New York. He is a Fellow of the American College of Physicians and in 2018 was elected Fellow of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Khorana is Past Chair of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Clinical Practice Guidelines Panel (CPGC), Chair of ASCO CPGC’s Pancreas Cancer Working Group, Co-Chair of ASCO CPGC’s Multisite Advisory Group and Co-Chair of the ASCO Guidelines Panel on Resectable Pancreas Cancer. He is currently Chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Board of the National Blood Clot Association. He was previously Chair of the ISTH Scientific Subcommittee on Hemostasis and Malignancy In 2019, Dr. Khorana was awarded the Cleveland Clinic’s Maria and Sam Miller Professional Excellence Award for Scientific Achievement in Clinical Research.

Dr. C. Ola Landgren

Professor of Medicine, Chief of Myeloma Program, Leader of Experimental Therapeutics Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at University of Miami (SCCC-UM)

Over the past several years, he designed and conducted a series of studies to define biological mechanisms of transformation from myeloma precursor disease (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance [MGUS] and smoldering myeloma) to multiple myeloma. Beyond traditional clinical criteria for complete remission, he developed strategies to define minimal residual disease (MRD) detection post-therapy in multiple myeloma using cell-, molecular-, and imaging-based methods. He has a strong track-record in drug development and served as a principal investigator for many clinical trials, with particular focus on early drug development and correlative science.

He leads the clinical and research operations along with the development of the Myeloma Program at SCCC-UM. He is a frequent speaker and faculty member for national and international meetings on myeloma and hematologic malignancies. He is a member of several editorial boards and serves as a reviewer for grants and several high-impact journals. As a Program Member of the Cancer Center Support Grant, he participates in research activities as an independent investigator, a leader of research governance committees, and on multi-disciplinary research teams.

Thomas William LeBlanc, MD

Associate Professor of Medicine; Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences; Member of the Duke Cancer Institute

Thomas W. LeBlanc, MD, MA, MHS, FAAHPM, FASCO is tenured Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematologic Malignancies and Cellular Therapy at the Duke University School of Medicine, and founding Director of the Cancer Patient Experience Research Program (CPEP) in the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI). He serves as the Chief Patient Experience and Safety Officer for the DCI.

Dr. LeBlanc is board-certified in medical oncology, and in hospice and palliative medicine, and his practice focuses on the care of patients with blood cancers, particularly those with acute leukemia’s and myeloid malignancies. His program of research focuses on palliative care and patient experience issues in hematology.

Dr. Suzanne Lentzsch

Dr. Lentzsch is a Professor of Medicine and the Director of the Multiple Myeloma and Amyloidosis Service at the Columbia University Medical Center, New York.

Her translational research focuses on identifying novel targets for the treatment of MM, MM bone disease, and AL amyloidosis. Dr. Lentzsch is a member of the NCI Myeloma Steering Committee, the ASH Scientific Committee for Plasma Cell Neoplasia, the ASCO Scientific Program Committee for Plasma cell dyscrasias, the Educational and Steering Committee for the Society of Hematology and Oncology (SOHO), and the SWOG Myeloma Working Group. She co-chairs the Career Development Committee of the International Myeloma Society (IMS). She is Associate Editor for JCO and on the Editorial Board for Blood Cancer Discoveries. Dr. Lentzsch’s translational research received grant support from the NCI, FDA, Pennsylvania Department of Health, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, Cancer Research Institute, Emerson Collect Fund, and International Myeloma Society. Dr. Lentzsch has published over 120 original articles, editorials, chapters, many as the lead or senior author, in high-impact journals as JCI, JCO, Blood, Cancer Research, and Leukemia.

Joseph Mikhael M.D.

Dr. Mikhael is a Professor in the Applied Cancer Research and Drug Discovery Division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope Cancer Center. He is also the Chief Medical Officer of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF). Dr. Mikhael is a consultant hematologist and Director of Myeloma Research at the HonorHealth Research Institute where he conducts phase 1 clinical trials. He just a completed a term as Councilor on the American Society of Hematology Executive. He also recently led the ASCO guidelines for multiple myeloma.

Dr. Mikhael was recently a hematologist at Mayo Clinic Arizona where he served as a Professor at the Mayo College of Medicine, Associate Dean of Graduate Medical Education and Deputy Director - Education of the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. He has been recognized with numerous awards in education including being in the Mayo Clinic Resident and Fellow Association Hall of Fame as Educator of the Year. He was also recently named in the Top 100 Doctors in the United States. Dr. Mikhael did his initial medical school training in Ottawa, Canada, followed by his Hematology Residency at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He then did a Multiple Myeloma Fellowship there along with a Masters’ Degree in Education from the University of Toronto. He was on staff at PMH until being recruited to Mayo Clinic in 2008 He specializes clinically in plasma cell disorders, namely multiple myeloma, amyloidosis and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. Dr. Mikhael is currently the principal investigator of many clinical trials, primarily in multiple myeloma. His other clinical research interests also include pharmaco-economics, communication skills and media relations. He has published over 150 peer reviewed articles in these fields. He lectures internationally on a regular basis. He is an active member of the International Myeloma Working Group and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Mikhael is leading the IMF African American initiative, known as M-Power, which seeks to improve the care delivered to African Americans with myeloma – a disease with double the incidence in African Americans than Caucasians. Dr. Mikhael also spends about 20% of his time in the third world seeking ways to enhance access to myeloma therapies in underprivileged countries.

Martina Murphy, MD

Martina Murphy, MD is an associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the University of Florida. She is clinical investigator and medical educator who specializes in caring for patients with gynecologic malignancies. Much of her research focuses on effective communication in the healthcare setting and the cultivation of equitable workplace and training environments. Dr. Murphy has a strong dedication to medical education and is actively involved on a national level in research in medical education primarily related to novel curriculum development, mentorship and career development. She serves as the Program Director for the Hematology/Oncology fellowship program and is a member of the UF Society of Teaching Scholars. Additionally, she directs the first year clinical skills course for pre-clerkship medical students at the UF College of Medicine.

Dr. Murphy is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology and is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and the American Society of Hematology (ASH) where she serves on the ASH Committee on Training and as a faculty mentor for the ASH Medical Educators Institute. She is also a participant in the ASCO Educational Scholars Program and serves on the ASCO Oncology Training Programs Committee as well as the ASCO Social Media Working Group.

Antonio Passaro MD, PhD

Medical Oncologist, Division of Thoracic Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Milan, Italy

Antonio Passaro, MD, PhD is a medical oncologist at the Division of Thoracic Oncology of the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy. He received the PhD in molecular medicine with a thesis on lung cancer.

He is a clinician and translational researcher specialized in lung cancer. His main areas or research and clinical interest are predictive biomarker, in particular EGFR, and related target and immunotherapy agents, from discovery to validation in clinical setting. He is also strongly involved and interested in using target agents in non-metastatic setting, alone or in multimodality approach for early or locally-advanced disease. Dr. Passaro is involved in a portfolio of many clinical trials, sponsored and academic, investigating new anticancer agents. He is currently a Member of the ESMO Council, Chair of the Press & Media Affairs Committee, and a member of ESMO Lung Cancer Faculty. He is also an AIOM (Italian Association of Medical Oncology) board member for lung cancer guidelines. Author of several peer-reviewed manuscripts, he serves on the Editorial Board of different clinical cancer journals, and acts as reviewer for multiple lung cancer publications.

Sandip P Patel, MD

UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center

Sandip Patel is a Professor at UCSD and a Medical Oncologist focusing on early phase clinical trials of immunotherapy and thoracic oncology.

He is the leader for the Experimental Therapeutics (Phase 1) Program and Deputy Director for the Center for Precision Immunotherapy at UCSD. He is Director of the Clinical Trials Office at UCSD Moores Cancer Center. He is co-leader of the NRG Developmental Therapeutics Committee and co-leader of the University of California Lung Cancer Consortium.

Shruti Rajesh Patel, MD

Shruti Patel is a medical oncology fellow at Stanford University in Palo Alto and prior internal medicine resident at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Dr. Patel’s clinical interests include thoracic & gastrointestinal oncology and research interests focus on clinical trial development, with an emphasis on precision medicine, specifically on utilizing liquid biopsy for tumor detection, monitoring, and treatment prediction. She also has conducted research in biomarker development in Cardio-Oncology and serves as a social media consultant for JACC: CardioOncology.

In addition to her clinical research interests, she is interested in studying how existing social and health structures create disparities which impact patients & providers, and how to effectively change these structures to provide equitable care. She is a member of the Gold Humanism Society and has received many awards including the Dr. George Herron Memorial Award, Attitude, Commitment, & Excellence Award, and Senior Medical Resident Educator Award. Her work has been published in journals such as the Journal of Clinical Oncology: Oncology Practice, The Oncologist, Cancer Cell, amongst many others. Twitter: @ShrutiPatelMD

Dr. Dale Shepard

Dale R. Shepard MD, PhD is the Director of the Taussig Phase I and Sarcoma programs at Cleveland Clinic.

In this role, Dr. Shepard oversees the early development of the new cancer therapies including the genomic-based treatments and immunotherapies that are revolutionizing the care of patients with cancer. He sees nearly 200 sarcoma consults annually with patients from across the country. As a medical oncologist and clinical researcher, he has been the principal investigator for dozens of clinical trials and has been a recipient of a National Cancer Institute Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award. Dr. Shepard is a thought leader for management of sarcoma, gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers and has been a consultant for many pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Shepard earned a PhD in Pharmacology and his MD at The Ohio State University and completed a Clinical Pharmacology fellowship at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Ann Meredith Garcia Trinidad

Dr. Ann Meredith Garcia Trinidad is currently the Head of the Section of Medical Oncology of the Dagupan Doctors Villaflor Memorial Hospital (Philippines). She has a special interest in healthcare social media and medical writing, particularly as avenues for patient education and advocacy. She is an Advisory Panelist of the ASCO Cancer.Net Editorial Board and serves as one of the Instagram Editors of the OncoAlert Network.

Dr. Trinidad completed her medical degree (cum laude) from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine and proceeded with her Internal Medicine Residency Training and Medical Oncology Fellowship Training at the University of the Philippines- Philippine General Hospital, accompanied by a Master’s Degree in Clinical Medicine (Major in Medical Oncology). She is a Diplomate and Fellow of the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology (PSMO). In 2019, she was one of the graduates of the first ESMO Leaders Generation Programme (LGP) Asia and now serves as a member of the ESMO Membership Committee and the ESMO Practising Oncologists Working Group. In 2020, she also received an International Development and Education Award (IDEA) from the ASCO.

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