DAVA Oncology

Faculty

​Omar Alhalabi, MD
Assistant Professor Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology Division of Cancer Medicine UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX

​Gustavo Ayala, MD
Professor Vice Chair, Outreach Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine UT Health Houston
Houston, TX

Mark W. Ball, MD
Associate Research Physician Urologic Oncology Branch Associate Director, Urologic Oncology Fellowship National Cancer Institute
Bethesda, MD

​Arnab Basu, MD
Chief, Genitourinary Oncology, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
Interim Chief, Genitourinary Oncology, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
Assistant Professor, Genitourinary Oncology, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center Associate Scientist, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
Birmingham, AL 

​David J. Benjamin, MD
Medical Oncologist
Hoag Family Cancer Institute
Newport Beach, CA

Mehmet Bilen, MD​
Associate Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology​
Emory University School of Medicine​
Director, Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program​ Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University​
Atlanta, GA

​Jacqueline T. Brown, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine Genitourinary Oncologist Winship Cancer
Institute of Emory University
Atlanta, GA

​Maria Carlo, MD
Assistant Attending Physician, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

​Sant P. Chawla, MD​
Director ​ Sarcoma Oncology Center ​
Santa Monica, CA

​Jonathan Chou, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine University of California, San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

​​​​​​​Matthew Dallos, MD
Genitourinary Oncologist
Assistant Attending Physician
Department of Medicine
Solid Tumor Genito-Urinary Service
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

​Siamak Daneshmand, MD
Professor of Urology and Medicine (Oncology) -Clinical Scholar Director of Urologic Oncology Director of Clinical Research Urologic Oncology Fellowship Director USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

​Scott Eggener, MD
Bruce and Beth White Family Professor of Surgery
Vice Chair, Section of Urology Director, High Risk and Advanced Prostate Cancer Clinic
The University of Chicago
Chicago, IL 

​David Einstein, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Boston MA

​Benjamin Garmezy, MD
Associate Director, Genitourinary Research Program
Co-Chair, GU Executive Committee, SCRI Network Sarah Cannon Research Institute GU Medical Oncologist and Investigator SCRI Oncology Partners
Nashville, TN

​​​​​Saby George, MD, FACP
Professor of Oncology
Director of Network Clinical Trials
Department of Medicine
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Buffalo, NY

Julie Graff, MD
Staff Oncologist, VA Portland Health Care System Director of PATCH (Prostate cancer Analysis for Therapy CHoice) Professor, Hematology & Medical Oncology OHSU Knight Cancer Institute
Portland, OR

​Scott Haake, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology & Oncology Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University
Medical Center
Nashville, TN

​Michael C. Haffner, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pathology Human Biology, Division Clinical Research, Division Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Assistant Professor, Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, WA

​Michael R. Harrison, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine Member of the Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University
Durham, NC

Jim C. Hu, MD, MPH
Ronald P. Lynch, Professor of Urologic Oncology Professor of Urology Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY

​​​​​Eric Jonasch, MD
Professor Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX 

​​​​​Arash Rezazadeh Kalebasty, MD
Professor — Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine Orange, CA 

​Joseph W. Kim, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology), Yale School of Medicine Director of Prostate Cancer Research for GU DART, Yale Cancer Center
New Haven, CT

​Manish Kohli, MD​
Professor, Division of Oncology, School of Medicine​
Jack R. and Hazel M. Robertson Presidential Endowed Chair​ Huntsman Cancer Institute​
Salt Lake City, UT

​Kristine Peregrino Lacuna, MD
Assistant Attending, Memorial Sloan
Kettering Cancer Center
New York, NY

Elaine Lam, MD
Professor of Medicine​ School of Medicine​,
Department of Medicine,​ Division of Medical Oncology,​ University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus​ Aurora, CO

​Seth Paul Lerner, MD, FACS
Professor of Urology, Beth and Dave Swalm
Chair in Urologic Oncology,  Director of Urologic Oncology Director of the Multidisciplinary Bladder Cancer Program Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX 

​Paul Lin, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX

​Nataliya Mar, MD
HS Associate Clinical Professor Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine,  School of Medicine,  Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center,  UCI Health
Orange, CA 

​​​Vitaly Margulis, MD
Professor of Urology Paul C. Peters, M.D.,
Chair in Urology
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX

​Charlene Mantia, MD
Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology Center for Cancer Therapeutic Innovation Department of Medical Oncology Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Boston, MA

​​​Catherine Handy Marshall, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Oncology Sidney Kimmel Cancer Comprehensive Cancer Center
Attending Physician, Oncology Johns Hopkins University Baltimore, MD

Hannah Dzimitrowicz McManus, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicne
Durham, NC

​​​Matthew I. Milowsky, MD, FASCO
The George Gabriel and Frances Gable Villere Distinguished Professor of Medicine Section
Chief, Genitourinary Oncology
Vice Chief for Research & Education UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
The University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC

​Alicia Morgans, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Survivorship Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Associate Professor of Medicine Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA

Bassel Nazha, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology
Emory University School of Medicine
Atlanta, GA

​Charles B. Nguyen, MD
GU Medical Oncologist, City of Hope
Orange County, CA

​Scot Niglio, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
New York, NY 

Peter H. O’Donnell, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine Section of Hematology / Oncology, Committee Chair, Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics, The University of Chicago
Chicago, IL 

​David Oh, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Medicine Principal Investigator Assistant Professor In Residence, University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

​Mamta Parikh, MD, MS
Associate Professor, UC Davis School of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology, Medical Director, Genitourinary Malignancies Associate Director of Curriculum Affairs, ARC-MD UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
Sacramento, CA

​Akash Patnaik, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine Deputy Section
Chief for Translational Research Section of Hematology/Oncology Program Leader, Clinical & Experimental Therapeutics Program
University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chicago, IL

​Daniel P. Petrylak, MD
Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Urology​ Chief, Genitourinary Oncology​
Director of Genitourinary Oncology,
Co Director Signal Transduction Program​
Yale School of Medicine​
New Haven, CT

Qian Qin, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Dallas, TX

​Melissa A. Reimers, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Clinical Director of Genitourinary Malignancies, Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine Washington, University in St. Louis Saint
Louis, MO

​​Charles Ryan, MD
Member, ​ Attending Physician​ Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center​
New York, NY

​Amirali Salmasi, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Urology
Urologic Oncology UC San Diego Health
San Diego, CA

​​A. Oliver Sartor, MD
Director Radiopharmaceutical Trials
Mayo Clinic
Minnesota, FL

Kerry Schaffer, MD
Assistant Professor,  Department of Medicine Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN

​​​​​​Laura Anne Sena, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Oncology
Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD

Arlene Siefker-Radtke, MD
Professor, Genitourinary Medical Oncology
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX

​​Samer A. Srour, MB ChB, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, Division of Cancer Medicine
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX

​Walter Stadler, MD, FACP
Fred C. Buffett Professor, Depts of Medicine & Surgery Dean for Clinical Research, Senior Advisor to the Director, Comprehensive Cancer Center
UChicago Medicine 
Chicago, IL

​​​Marie-Pier St-Laurent, MD
Uro-oncology Clinical Fellow
Vancouver General Hospital
Vancouver, BC

​​​Cora N. Sternberg, MD
Clinical Director, Englander Institute for Precision Medicine, Professor of Medicine, Sandra and
Edward Meyer Cancer Center
Weill Cornell Medicine
New York, NY

​​​Tyler F. Stewart, MD
 Assistant Professor Medical Oncology, University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA

​​​Russell Szmulewitz, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine Program Leader, Genitourinary Oncology Section of Hematology/Oncology, Dept. of Medicine,
The University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

​​​Nizar M. Tannir, MD, FACP
Professor Ransom Horne, Jr.
Professor for Cancer Research RMC Alliance,
Founder and President
Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology Division of Cancer Medicine
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX

​Benjamin A. Teply, MD
Associate Professor, Division of Oncology & Hematology Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 

​​​Hong Truong, MD
Assistant Professor
Penn State Health
Hershey, PA

Nitin Vaishampayan, MD
Radiation Oncologist Karmanos Cancer Institute
Detroit, MI 

Ulka Vaishampayan, MD
Beverly Mitchell MD Research, Professor of Medicine Ambulatory Clinical Chief (Hem/Onc)
Director MET (Phase I ) team
Co-Leader Translational Clinical Research Program Rogel Cancer Center, University of Michigan
Ann Arbor MI 

​Tian Zhang, MD, MHS
Associate Professor, Division of Hematology & Oncology Department of Internal Medicine
UT Southwestern Medical Center,  Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dallas, TX  

​Alexandre R. Zlotta, MD, PhD
Professor and Howard Sokolowski
Chair in Uro-Oncological Research, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Toronto, Director, Uro-Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Associate Scientist,  Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Staff, Division of Surgical Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network
Toronto, Canada 

Nicholas Zorko, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota Minneapolis, MN

​Omar Alhalabi, MD
Assistant Professor Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology Division of Cancer Medicine,  UT MD Anderson Cancer Center,  Houston, TX

After graduating medical school in Syria, scientific research seemed impossible and out of reach. Eight years later, he was very fortunate to have joined the faculty at MD Anderson as a clinical investigator in July 2020 and to have developed the following research interests: 1) Defining the genomic and metabolic drivers of resistance to immunotherapy in bladder cancer. 2) Developing the urine metabolome as an accessible biomarker reflective of bladder cancer immunity. 3) Developing effective novel therapies guided by understanding the biology of bladder cancer. His first funded grant was in 2019, when he received the Young Investigator Award (YIA) from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Conquer Cancer Foundation (CCF) for the investigation of triple-agent combination therapy with pemetrexed, adenosine inhibitor, and anti-PD-L1 in methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) deficient bladder cancer. This award had a significant impact on me as a researcher and allowed to witness the transition of bench findings to patients and vice versa. He became interested in studying MTAP deficiency in 9p21-loss bladder cancer because those patients (consist 25% of bladder cancer population) have significantly poorer prognosis (Alhalabi et al. European Urology Oncology, 2021) Furthermore, his group’s work (Han et al. Nature Communications, 2022) has shown that loss of 9p21 confers a cold tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and primary resistance to immunotherapy. Therefore, he has been exploring the therapeutic vulnerabilities created by MTAP loss. His YIA project showed that MTAP deficiency creates an exploitable target for antifolate therapy in 9p21-loss cancers (Alhalabi et al. Nature Communications, 2022). Using these findings, his team has launched an investigator-initiated clinical trial (NCT05335941) using the triplet combination of antifolates, antiadenosine and antiPD1 against MTAP deficient bladder cancer. In this P01 application, he will co-lead project 3 and aim to test the hypothesis that pemetrexed plus anti-PD-(L)1 + adenosine 2A/B receptor inhibitor combination therapy will effectively modulate the TIME to favor killing of 9p21-loss bladder cancer.

​Arnab Basu, MD
Chief, Genitourinary Oncology, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center,  Interim Chief, Genitourinary Oncology, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Assistant Professor, Genitourinary Oncology, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Associate Scientist, UAB O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL

Dr. Arnab Basu is an academic genitourinary oncologist focusing in the care of patients with Kidney Cancer & Bladder Cancer. Dr. Basu originally obtained his medical degree from the Medical College, Kolkata, the oldest medical school in Asia. He then completed a fellowship at the Indian Council of Medical Research and a Masters in Epidemiology and Biostatistical Methods in Clinical Research from the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore , Maryland. He then completed his Internal Medicine training at the Johns Hopkins University & Sinai Hospital of Baltimore program. Dr. Basu also has fellowship training from the University of Southern California and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation where he focused on the care of patients with genitourinary malignancies Following his Training , Dr. Basu has joined UAB as a Associate Scientist with the Comprehensive Cancer Center and a Tenure Track Assistant Professor at the UAB School of Medicine. He holds a Alabama Drug Discovery Alliance award for the development of novel therapeutics for Kidney Cancer. Dr. Basu also has published on the role of circulating DNA analysis for the early detection and management of disease. Dr. Basu is experienced in the use of immunotherapy and targeted therapies in these diseases and has performed research in resistance mechanisms to immunotherapy. Dr. Basu is developing translational research programs in the genitourinary malignancies at UAB. In addition to kidney and bladder cancer , he also specializes in testicular, adrenal and prostate cancers.

​David J. Benjamin, MD
Medical Oncologist, Hoag Family Cancer Institute, Newport Beach, CA

Dr. David J. Benjamin is a genitourinary medical oncologist at Hoag Family Cancer Institute (Newport Beach, CA). He has co-authored over 50 publications in journals such as JAMA Oncology and Nature Reviews Urology. He received the 2022 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium Merit Award from Conquer Cancer, the ASCO Foundation, and received the 2022 UCI School of Medicine Outstanding Fellow/Resident Research Award for excellence in clinical/translational research.

​​Mehmet Bilen, MD​
Associate Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology​, Emory University School of Medicine​, Director, Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program​, Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University​, Atlanta, GA

Mehmet Asim Bilen, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. A board certified medical oncologist. Dr. Bilen is actively involved in clinical research and patient care in the area of genitourinary cancers. He serves as director of the Genitourinary Medical Oncology Program at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. He works closely with the Fellowship Program of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology by educating fellows on genitourinary oncology. He also serves on the Winship Clinical and Translational Review Committee.​ ​ Dr. Bilen is a member of the Discovery and Developmental Therapeutics Research Program at Winship Cancer Institute. He holds professional memberships with American Association for Cancer Research and American Society of Clinical Oncology.

​Jacqueline T. Brown, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Genitourinary Oncologist Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University Atlanta, GA

Dr. Jacqueline T. Brown is an Assistant Professor at the Emory University School of Medicine and specializes in the management of genitourinary malignancies at the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. She is actively involved in clinical trials in genitourinary cancers and the Phase I clinical trials unit at Winship. She is interested in improving clinical outcomes for older patients with bladder and prostate cancer and is passionate about improving oncology medical education at Emory and beyond.

​Maria Carlo, MD
Assistant Attending Physician, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY

Dr. Maria Carlo is an Assistant Attending Physician in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School, completed her residency in Internal Medicine from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, andfellowship in Hematology and Oncology from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She is a medical oncologist who specializes in caring for people with advanced kidney cancer. She also provide clinical counseling and genetic testing for people who may have an inherited predisposition to genitourinary cancers, such as kidney and prostate cancers, and other cancers.

​​Sant P. Chawla, MD​
Director ​Sarcoma Oncology Center, Santa Monica, CA​

Sant P. Chawla, M.D., is director of the Cancer Center of Southern California in Santa Monica, California, a comprehensive cancer treatment and clinical research facility. Sant P. Chawla, M.D. holds medical licensures in both Texas and California, and he is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. He is a pioneering physician whose work in sarcoma oncology has brought him several accolades and recognition as one of the world’s leading authorities in medical treatment and clinical research for bone and soft-tissue sarcomas and sarcoma therapy. Dr. Chawla heads the Sarcoma Oncology Center in Santa Monica, CA where he leads clinical cancer research efforts and conducted groundbreaking clinical research in pancreatic carcinoma, gynecologic tumors, breast cancer, glioblastoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors, lung cancer and gastrointestinal tumors. ​ ​ Dr. Chawla received his medical degree and completed his residency training in Internal Medicine at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi. From there, he went on to the Auckland Hospital in Auckland, New Zealand to begin his specialty training in medical oncology. He also completed his fellowship in medical oncology in New Zealand, at the Fellow Royal Australasian College of Physicians (F.R.A.C.P.). ​ ​ Dr. Chawla’s pioneering work in cancer research began in the 1980s when he contributed to breakthroughs in the treatment of young patients with osteosarcoma. He innovated limb-saving treatment for these young patients where amputation was previously the only option. Since that time, he has conducted over 60 clinical trials for cancer drugs now approved by the FDA and EMA, including carboplatin, trabectedin (Yondalis), pazopanib, eribulin, aprepitant and denosumab. Most recently, the Center completed a breakthrough Phase II trial for Aldoxorubicin (second line for soft tissue sarcomas).

​Jonathan Chou, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Dr Jonathan Chou is a physician-scientist in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and an attending physician in the Genitourinary Medical Oncology Clinic at UCSF. Dr Chou earned his medical degree and a doctorate in biomedical sciences from UCSF. He also completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in oncology at UCSF. Dr. Jonathan Chou cares for patients with cancers affecting the genital and urinary organs, including prostate, bladder, kidney and testicular cancers. His areas of research include developing more precise ways to treat cancer. He studies molecular subtypes of cancer and uses genome-editing technology to engineer cell models in the lab, seeking to understand how specific mutations affect cancer properties. He also uses genetic and drug screening to find new ways of killing cancer cells, and incorporates patient-derived tumor xenografts (models in which cells from a patient’s tumor are implanted in an animal) to investigate drug resistance.

​Siamak Daneshmand, MD
Professor of Urology and Medicine (Oncology) -Clinical Scholar Director of Urologic Oncology Director of Clinical Research Urologic Oncology Fellowship Director USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

Dr. Sia Daneshmand is currently Professor of Urology and Medicine (Oncology) with Clinical Scholar designation and serves as director of urologic oncology, as well as the urologic oncology (SUO) fellowship director at the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. His main clinical interests include bladder cancer, testicular cancer, and advanced kidney cancer. He is a leading authority in the management of complex germ cell tumors and nerve-sparing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) following chemotherapy for advanced testicular cancer and is one of the highest volume surgeons for this disease in the country. His main research interests focus on the use of pathways to improve peri-operative outcomes following radical cystectomy and post-chemo RPLND, use of serum and molecular markers and new technologies in diagnosis and management of bladder and testicular cancers, as well as functional outcomes following orthotopic urinary diversion. He serves on the AUA Guidelines panel for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer, as well as the AUA Guidelines panel for Testicular cancer. He currently serves as the chair of bladder section of the SUO Clinical Trials Consortium (SUO-CTC), is on the scientific steering committee of several bladder cancer clinical trials and has led over a dozen clinical trials in bladder cancer and a pivotal trial in testicular cancer (SEMS). He was recently appointed. He is current secretary of the Western Section of the AUA. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha medical honor society and has been designated one of the “America’s Top Cancer Doctors” for the past 12 consecutive years. He has been a career leader in academic investigations in bladder cancer and germ cell tumors and was recently appointed as the chair of the SWOG local bladder committee. He has been a visiting professor at more than 25 institutions around the world. He has presented over 500 abstracts at scientific meetings and has authored over 375 peer-reviewed articles, reviews, and book chapters.

​David Einstein, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston MA

Dr. Einstein is an academic medical oncologist specializing in genitourinary (GU) cancers. He care for patients with prostate, bladder, kidney, and testicular cancer. He spend approximately half of my time on genitourinary oncology research, particularly focusing on immunotherapy and targeted approaches in prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers, with support from the Prostate Cancer Foundation, NIH, DoD, BIDMC, and industry partners. He is interested in clinical trial development, serving as overall Principal Investigator (PI) and site PI of several Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center (DF/HCC) clinical trials that investigate immune-based, targeted, and radioligand therapies for GU cancers. In addition, he is the Director of GU Oncology Clinical Research for the Beth Israel-Lahey Health network and PI of the DF/HCC GU Rapid Autopsy program, a component of the Pathology core of the DF/HCC Prostate SPORE. He is passionate about teaching: He is a two-time author of the American Society of Clinical Oncology Self-Evaluation Program GU chapter and a two-time winner of the annual teaching award from our fellowship program. Finally, he has developed tools to improve quality of life, physician communication, and end-of-life decision-making, especially as it relates to patients with GU cancers, and to promote patient wellbeing outside of my clinic, He serves as medical advisor to the Boston Prostate Cancer Support Group and the Massachusetts Prostate Cancer Coalition.

​Scott Haake, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN

As a kidney cancer-focused investigator, Dr Haake leads a research team focused on the study of basic mechanisms of kidney cancer development and progression and seek to actively translate this knowledge into interventions that improve the lives of kidney cancer patients. For example, they have a DOD-funded project that seeks to develop RNAseq-based biomarkers that match approved first-line therapies to the unique biology of an individual patient’s tumor, thus testing the hypothesis that this tailored therapy will result in superior clinical outcomes. In addition, they have a new study that will seek to translate this tissue-based biomarker into a liquid-based biomarker that utilizes RNA sequencing of circulating tumor cells to assign tumor to these predictive clusters. Other DOD funding seeks to train artificial intelligence to correlate spatial patterns derived from multiplex immunofluorescence in papillary renal cellc carcinoma tissues with clinical outcomes. The focus of his NCI K08 award is to study the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) and integrin signaling in cancer. He demonstrated that cancer cells exhibit constitutive, ligand-independent activation of ECM receptors, and this signaling is required for tumor initiation. His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Cell, The New England Journal of Medicine, Cancer Cell, Cancer, Clinical Cancer Research, and others. As a board-certified medical oncologist, he cares for patients at both Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the Nashville VA Hospital.

​Michael C. Haffner, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Pathology Human Biology Division Clinical Research Division Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center Assistant Professor, Pathology, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA

Dr. Michael Haffner is a physician-scientist who specializes in genitourinary cancers. As a pathologist, he diagnoses patients’ tumors. As a research scientist, he studies the cellular changes that allow tumor cells, particularly prostate tumor cells, to metastasize, or spread through the body. Dr. Haffner focuses on the cytoskeleton, the protein network that gives cells their shape and size and is involved in nearly every cellular process, from division to movement. The shape and size of cancer cells often differs from normal cells and these changes may be due to changes in how cells build and organize their cytoskeletons. But how cytoskeletal changes may promote tumor progression, including metastasis, remain unclear. Through understanding the connection between the cytoskeleton and cancer, Dr. Haffner aims to identify new targets for future therapies designed to halt advanced prostate cancer.

​​Michael R. Harrison, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Member of the Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University Durham, NC

​Dr. Michael Harrison is an Associate Professor in Duke University. He earned his medical degree from Tulane University School of Medicine, residency in Internal Medicine from Tulane University and fellowship in Medical Oncology from University of Wisconsin. He specialize in treating people with genitourinary (GU) cancers, such as bladder, prostate, testicular and kidney cancer.  

​Jim C. Hu, MD, MPH
Ronald P. Lynch, Professor of Urologic Oncology, Professor of Urology, Weill Cornell Medicine New York, NY

Dr. Jim Hu is a urologic oncologist with his undergraduate degree in Economics, his Master’s in Public Health in Health Policy and Management from Johns Hopkins University, and his Medical Degree from Baylor College of Medicine. He completed his Urology Residency at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and his Robotic Surgery/Urologic Oncology Fellowship in 2004 at City of Hope National Medical Center. He began his career as the Director of Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Instructor at Harvard Medical School and was quickly promoted to Director of the Prostate Cancer Program at Dana Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and Associate Professor. He was then recruited back to the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA as the Henry Singleton Chair of Robotic and Minimally Invasive Surgery, where he led the minimally invasive prostate cancer, kidney cancer, and kidney donor nephrectomy programs. He was promoted to Professor before joining the faculty at Weill Cornell Medical College in 2015 as the Director of the LeFrak Center for Robotic Surgery and the Ronald P. Lynch Chair in Urologic Oncology. He currently serves as the Vice-Chair of Clinical Research, Chair of Quality and Patient Safety, and the Course Director for Urology Grand Rounds. Dr. Hu is an internationally renowned surgical innovator and health services researcher. His comparative effectiveness research interests have been funded by the Department of Defense, the National Cancer Institute, and the Livestrong Foundation. He is currently the contact principal investigator on two National Cancer Institute R0-1 randomized clinical trials investigating novel, potentially practice-changing approaches to prostate biopsy and radical prostatectomy. He is also the contact principal investigator on two Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) awards investigating prostate biopsy and comparative effectiveness of focal therapy, stereotactic body radiation therapy vs. conventional prostate cancer therapies. He has been awarded more than $12 million in peer-reviewed funding, and he has authored more than 300 peer-reviewed papers. His discoveries have been published in the most prestigious and exclusive medical journals, such as the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology, as well as featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Boston Globe. In addition, Dr. Hu has published the most advances/videos of technical modifications internationally in European Urology Surgery in Motion to improve prostate and kidney cancer surgical outcomes. Dr. Hu has performed over 4000 laparoscopic, robotic and open procedures.

​Arash Rezazadeh Kalebasty, MD
Professor — Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine, Orange, CA

Dr. Arash Rezazadeh Kalebasty is a board-certified UCI Health medical oncologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of genitourinary cancers. His clinical interests include immunotherapy and orther targeted therapies to treat cancers of the prostate, bladder, kidney and testes. He earned his medical degree at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, Iran. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in medical oncology and hematology at Kentucky’s University of Louisville School of Medicine. Rezazadeh has served as principal investigator in numerous clinical trials for genitourinary malignancies, particularly cancers of the bladder and prostate. Some of these trials have led to the approval of novel first-in-class cancer therapies. He also has presented his studies at many national and international cancer conferences, and he has published numerous research papers in his field. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the European Society for Medical Oncology and the NRG Oncology Genitourinary Committee. He is also an editorial reviewer for the publications Bladder Cancer and Annals of Case Reports.

​Elaine Lam, MD
Professor of Medicine​ School of Medicine​, Department of Medicine​, Division of Medical Oncology,​ University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus​, Aurora, CO

Dr. Lam is a Professor in the Department of Medicine/Division of Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus. She is a GU medical oncologist and clinical researcher at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Dr. Lam is the Cancer Research Medical Director at UCHealth Cancer Center at Highlands Ranch Hospital and directs the Medical Oncology Kidney Cancer Program at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. She is also a voting member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Kidney Cancer Panel. She has been involved with numerous phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials for patients with genitourinary cancers.

​​Seth Paul Lerner, MD, FACS
Professor of Urology, Beth and Dave Swalm, Chair in Urologic Oncology, Director of Urologic Oncology,  Director of the Multidisciplinary Bladder Cancer Program, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX

Seth P. Lerner, MD, is Professor of Urology and holds the Beth and Dave Swalm Chair in Urologic Oncology, in the Scott Department of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine. He is Director of Urologic Oncology and the Multidisciplinary Bladder Cancer Program and Faculty Group Practice Medical Director for the Urology Clinic. He earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine, completed a surgical internship at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle, and returned to Baylor for his residency training. He completed a two-year fellowship at the University of Southern California in urologic oncology and reconstructive surgery under Peter Jones and Don Skinner before returning to join the full-time Baylor faculty in 1992. His clinical practice, education, and research activities are devoted to urologic oncology and particularly lower and upper tract urothelial cancer. Dr. Lerner is author of over190 peer-reviewed articles, and co-editor of a comprehensive Textbook of Bladder Cancer. He is the founding co-editor-in-chief of the Bladder Cancer journal. He established and directs the multi-disciplinary Bladder Cancer Research Program at Baylor and his research interests include use of selective estrogen receptor modulators for treatment of bladder cancer, gene therapy, integrated genomic analysis of bladder and upper urinary tract cancers, and outcomes of radical cystectomy and pelvic lymphadenectomy. He has 26 years experience as a clinical investigator for both NCI and industry funded clinical trials. He is the PI of the ongoing SWOG NCI Phase III trial comparing extended vs. standard pelvic lymphadenectomy at time of radical cystectomy. He is active in the leadership of several national bladder cancer research enterprises including chair of the Local Bladder Cancer committee of SWOG, founding and former co-chair of the NCI Bladder Cancer Task Force and current co-chair of the NCI CTEP Genitourinary Steering Committee, and he has co-chaired the Analysis Working Group of The Cancer Genome Atlas Project for muscle invasive bladder cancer for the past 7 years. He is very active in the Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN) as a member of the Board of Directors, past chair of the Bladder Cancer Think Tank and co-chair of the management committee of the Bladder Cancer Research Network. Dr. Lerner is an active member of the prestigious American Association of Genitourinary Surgeons and is listed routinely among “America’s Top Doctors” and “Best Doctors in America.

​Catherine Handy Marshall, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Oncology, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Comprehensive Cancer Center, Attending Physician, Oncology Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Dr. Marshall is an Assistant Professor of Oncology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where she is a medical oncologist specializing in the care of men with advanced prostate cancer

​Hannah Dzimitrowicz McManus, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicne, Durham, NC

Dr. Hannah McManus is a medical oncologist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Duke Cancer Institute in Durham, North Carolina. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of people with genitourinary cancers. In addition to her work caring for patients, she is a clinical investigator focusing on clinical trials for patients with GU cancer and utilization of real-world data to understand patterns of care and outcomes for patients. She completed medical school at Yale University and internal medicine residency and hematology/oncology fellowship training at Duke University.

​Matthew I. Milowsky, MD, FASCO
The George Gabriel and Frances Gable Villere, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Section Chief, Genitourinary Oncology, Vice Chief for Research & Education UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Dr. Matthew I Milowsky, MD, serves as Professor of Medicine and Clinical Professor of Urology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Dr Milowsky also serves as Section Chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service, and Co-Director of the Urologic Oncology Program at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. He joined UNC to lead the Genitourinary Oncology Research program with a focus on translational science and clinical trials for patients with urologic cancers. He earned his medical degree from the State University of New York (SUNY) Downstate College of Medicine in Brooklyn, New York, and completed his medical residency at New England Medical Center-Tufts in Boston, and hematology/oncology fellowship at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York City. Dr Milowsky has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and written several chapters including serving as an author on the Genitourinary Cancers section and as Associate Editor for the ASCO Medical Oncology Self-Evaluation Program (ASCO SEP). He has received several honors and awards including an NIH Institutional Research Fellowship Award in Hematology and DOD Physician Research Training Award, amongst others.

​Alicia Morgans, MD, MPH
Medical Director, Survivorship Program, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Dr. Alicia Morgans is a Genitourinary Medical Oncologist and the Medical Director of the Survivorship Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. A clinician and investigator, she has expertise in clinical trials and patient-reported outcome measures, as well as incorporating patient preferences and beliefs into clinical decision making. Her research has investigated complications of systemic therapy for prostate cancer survivors, including the study of skeletal, cardiovascular, diabetic, and cognitive complications. Her work has been funded by grants from the Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Department of Defense. She is a member of the advanced and localized prostate cancer treatment guidelines committee of the American Urologic Association, and is a member of the cardio-oncology committee of the American Heart Association. Since 2016, she has been President of the Medical Advisory Board for ZERO, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting education and research funding for prostate cancer research.

​Bassel Nazha, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA

Bassel Nazha, MD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine. Dr. Nazha joined the clinical staff at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory Unviersity as a practicing physician in 2020. A medical oncologist, he specializes in the treatment of genitourinary cancers. Dr. Nazha received his MD from the American University of Beirut in Beirut, Lebanon. He completed a clinical fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, where he was Chief Fellow in his final year. His postgraduate medical education also included residency training at Staten Island University Hospital - Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine in Staten Island, New York. Dr. Nazha received an MPH in Health Policy and Management from Columbia University in New York, New York. He also completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, graduating with Great Distinction. Dr. Nazha's research area of interest is working on novel therapeutic agents and biomarker development in genitourinary oncology. He is particularly interested in systemic treatment modalities that allow achieving higher cure rates in the non-metastatic setting, as part of a perioperative approach (neoadjuvant and adjuvant). In parallel, he is focused on conducting outcomes research to elucidate treatment efficacy in real-world settings and on minority enrollment in cancer clinical trials.

Charles B. Nguyen, MD
GU Medical Oncologist, City of Hope, Orange County, CA

​Scot Niglio, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine,  NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY

Dr. Niglio is a medical Oncologist and lead oncologist in NYU Langone Health. He received his medical degree from Robert Wood Johnson Med School, completed his residency in Radiology from Temple University Hospital and internal medicine from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He also completed his fellowship in Hematology & Medical Oncology from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He has numerous articles in peer-reviewed publications, and have been part of many clinical trials researching treatments for bladder and urinary tract cancers. He received a National Institutes of Health Director’s Award for his work as part of the phase 1 team that developed a combination therapy that is now approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a first-line therapy for advanced kidney cancer.

​Peter H. O’Donnell, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Section of Hematology / Oncology,  Committee Chair, Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics, The University of Chicago Chicago, IL

Dr. Peter O'Donnell, specializes in the treatment of genitourinary malignancies, including prostate, kidney, and testicular cancers — with particular expertise in bladder cancer. Dr. O'Donnell is a well-published researcher with advanced training in pharmacology and pharmacogenomics (the study of genetic traits that cause differences between patients in drug responses and side-effects). He has an interest in the study of personalized medicine, which involves considering each patient's genetic profile when determining chemotherapy and other therapeutic decisions. Dr. O'Donnell has several ongoing research projects. Currently, he is investigating how genetic factors affect chemotherapy drug outcomes — specifically for patients receiving treatment for bladder cancer, and for patients receiving the widely used chemotherapy drugs cisplatin and capecitabine. Additionally, Dr. O'Donnell serves as principal investigator of numerous clinical trials, including the "1200 Patients Project," a clinical study operated through the Center for Personalized Therapeutics at the University of Chicago. In this role, he leads an initiative exploring the benefit of incorporating broad pharmacogenomic testing into routine clinical practice for patients with any type of disease. Dr. O'Donnell is also a member of the University of Chicago Committee on Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics. This committee aims to expand the educational mission of conducting research and training the next generation of scientists in clinical pharmacology, principles of therapeutics, molecular pharmacology, and pharmacogenomics.

​David Oh, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Medicine Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor In Residence University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA

Dr. David Oh is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. He received his MD and PhD from Stanford, completed Medicine and Oncology housestaff training and a post-doctoral fellowship at UCSF, and has been on the faculty since 2018. He leads early-phase immunotherapy trials for solid tumors, with a particular focus on prostate, bladder, and kidney cancers, in the UCSF Cancer Immunotherapy Program. As the leader of the translational UCSF Cancer Immunotherapy Laboratory, he directs deep immune monitoring and functional validation of samples from immunotherapy-treated patients with genitourinary malignancies, to understand how immune fitness and specific novel immune functional states are linked to clinical response and toxicity with these agents. His work has been extramurally supported by the NIH, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, the V Foundation, and the Department of Defense.

​Mamta Parikh, MD, MS
Associate Professor, UC Davis School of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology Oncology, Medical Director, Genitourinary Malignancies, Associate Director of Curriculum Affairs, ARC-MD UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, Sacramento, CA

Dr. Parikh is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of genitourinary malignancies, including bladder cancer, kidney cancer, prostate cancer, and testicular cancer. Dr. Parikh's research focuses on improving outcomes in bladder, kidney, and prostate cancer, by investigating new agents in clinical trials in patients with these malignancies, and by looking at cancer outcomes in California. She has clinical research interests in improving the effect of immunotherapy in bladder cancer. Dr. Parikh has graduated from the University of California Davis School of Medicine in 2011. Further she had completed her residency in internal medicine and fellowship in hematology/oncology from the University of California Davis School of Medicine in 2014 and 2017, respectively.

​Daniel P. Petrylak, MD​
Professor of Medicine (Medical Oncology) and Urology​ Chief, Genitourinary Oncology​ Director of Genitourinary Oncology, Co Director Signal Transduction Program​ Yale School of Medicine​ New Haven, CT

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 the co-director 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.

​Qian Qin, MD
Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center​
Dallas, TX

Dr. Qin is a Medical Oncologist with a focus on genitourinary malignancies. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and Asian Studies at Rice University and medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. She completed her residency in internal medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital and gained advanced training through a hematology and medical oncology fellowship at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Dr. Qin returned to Texas and joined UT Southwestern as Eugene P. Frenkel, M.D. Scholar in Clinical Medicine endowed Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology. Her clinical specialization includes kidney, prostate, bladder, and testicular cancers and her research goals are to identify novel biomarkers, therapeutics, and therapeutic combinations in the setting of early phase clinical trials. Particularly, her current focus is on novel radiotracer-based biomarkers in genitourinary cancers, where she co-leads investigator initiated clinical trials in this space. Dr. Qin is also developing additional studies in prostate cancer with focuses on the use of PARP inhibitors in racial/ethnic minorities with homologous recombination repair alterations and kidney cancer with focus on tyrosine kinase inhibitor/immune checkpoint inhibitor combination in the peri- operative setting.

​Melissa A. Reimers, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Clinical Director of Genitourinary Malignancies, Division of Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, Saint Louis, MO

Melissa Reimers is a genitourinary medical oncologist and Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Oncology at Washington University in St. Louis, where she is also Clinical Director of Genitourinary Malignancies. She has expertise in the clinical care of patients with bladder, kidney, and prostate cancer. She is currently Principal Investigator on multiple therapeutic interventional trials across the spectrum of genitourinary malignancies, and has a particular interest in clinical trial development for urothelial carcinoma.

​Charles Ryan, MD
Member, ​Attending Physician​, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center​, New York, NY

Dr. Charles J. Ryan is a genitourinary medical oncologist with a specialization in treating prostate cancer, particularly advanced prostate cancer that has metastasized to other parts of the body. He sees patients at the Sidney Kimmel Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers in New York City and Memorial Sloan Kettering Monmouth in New Jersey. He takes pride in getting to know his patients and their families, making sure they understand their diagnosis, and explaining the various treatment options available, such as hormonal therapies, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and radioligand therapy, which involves directing radiation to targeted cancer cells. ​ As a dedicated clinician, Dr. Ryan values building long-term relationships with his patients. In addition to his clinical work, he is deeply involved in research and has led numerous clinical trials and research teams focused on prostate cancer biology, treatment, and supportive care. His research has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program, and the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He has authored more than 200 articles and book chapters in leading medical journals and wrote The Virility Paradox: The Vast Influence of Testosterone on Our Bodies, Minds, and the World We Live In. Previously, he served as Chair of the National Cancer Institute’s GU Steering Committee’s Prostate Cancer Task Force and as Chief Executive Officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Currently, Dr. Ryan is the Medical Director of the Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Consortium and a member of the Advanced Prostate Cancer Consensus Conference.

​Amirali Salmasi, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Urology, Urologic Oncology, UC San Diego Health,
San Diego, CA

Amirali Salmasi, MD, is a urologist with expertise in the management of genitourinary cancers in men and women, including bladder, prostate, kidney, ureteral, testicular, adrenal, and penile cancers. He provides a personalized, multidisciplinary approach to deliver the best possible treatment options (active surveillance, focal therapy, surgery, radiation, systemic treatments, or clinical trials) for his patients. Dr. Salmasi performs advanced minimally invasive and complex open surgeries, such as robotic-assisted laparoscopic cystectomy, nerve-sparing prostatectomy, retro-peritoneal lymph node dissection, adrenalectomy, and partial nephrectomy. He is also interested in translational research and clinical trials in urologic oncology, and his hope is to bridge the gap between the bench and clinical research. He has published over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Dr. Salmasi completed a urologic oncology fellowship at University of California, Los Angeles and a urology residency at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. As a first step towards a career in academic medicine and research, he also did a postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He earned his medical degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and holds a master's degree in clinical research (MSCR) from UCLA Clinical and Translational Science Institute. He is a member of the American Urological Association, the Society for Urologic Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

​A. Oliver Sartor, MD
Director, Radiopharmaceutical Trials, Mayo Clinic, Minnesota, FL 

Dr. Sartor received his MD from Tulane University School of Medicine with honors in 1982. After an internship at the University of Pennsylvania, he trained in internal medicine at Tulane Medical School. After completing a fellowship at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Bethesda, Maryland in 1989, he served until 1993 as a senior investigator at the NCI and began focusing on novel therapeutics for advanced prostate cancer patients. Dr. Sartor returned to Louisiana in 1993 to serve as an Associate Professor at the LSU Medical School in Shreveport and then moved to the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans in 1998 as the Patricia Powers Strong Professor of Oncology, the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center Director, and the Hematology/Oncology Section Chief. He was the Co-Director of the Louisiana Cancer Research Consortium, starting at its legislative inception in 2002. In March 2006, he left LSU to join the Lank Center for Genitourinary Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and the Harvard Medical School. In January 2008, Dr. Sartor joined Tulane University as the C. E. and Bernadine Laborde Professor of Cancer Research in the Departments of Medicine and Urology. An internationally recognized expert in prostate cancer, Dr. Sartor’s interests have focused broadly on prostate cancer, predominantly in those patients who failed initial therapies. His publications range from genetic studies on prostate cancer to clinical trials involving novel agents. He has been a lead author on two studies pivotal for FDA drug approval in prostate cancer and has been the PI or co-PI on a number of prospective international clinical trials evaluating new therapies for patients with advanced prostate cancer. Having published over 500 scholarly articles and having served as the past Chairman of the Department of Defense Prostate Integration Panel, Dr. Sartor, in addition to being the C.E. and Bernadine Laborde Professor of Cancer Research in the Departments of Medicine and Urology, is the Medical Oncology Chair of the GU Committee of the NRG, the Assistant Dean for Oncology at Tulane University School of Medicine, the Medical Director of the Tulane Cancer Center, and the Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal, Clinical Genitourinary Cancer. In addition, he is currently a member of the NCI Board of Scientific Counselors (Clinical Sciences and Epidemiology).

​Kerry Schaffer, MD
Assistant Professor,  Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN

Kerry Schaffer MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center.  She received her medical degree from University of Virgina School of Medicine, residency in Internal Medicine and fellowship in Hematology and Oncology from University of Rochester Medical Center. She is a clinician researcher and medical oncologist with an interest in prostate cancer genetics and developing novel prostate cancer therapeutics.   Outside of direct patient care, her research works to address gaps in health care delivery. 

Arlene Siefker-Radtke, MD
Professor, Genitourinary Medical Oncology, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX

Arlene Siefker-Radtke, MD is a Professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her research focus is on developing effective therapies in the treatment of urothelial cancer and other rare tumors of the bladder and upper tract. She is well-known for her novel clinical trial designs, development of novel agents and targets including immunotherapy and cytokine analogues, FGFR inhibitors, development of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and expertise in treating even those most rare tumors of the bladder.

​​Samer A. Srour, MB ChB, MS
Assistant Professor, Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, Division of Cancer Medicine
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center,  Houston, TX

Dr Srour is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation, Division of Cancer Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He received his medical degree from Beirut Arab University. ​

​Walter Stadler, MD, FACP
Fred C. Buffett Professor, Depts of Medicine & Surgery Dean for Clinical Research, Senior Advisor to the Director, Comprehensive Cancer Center UChicago Medicine,  Chicago, IL

Dr. Stadler is a clinical trialist who has focused on the development of novel therapies and biomarkers in genitourinary cancers. In this context, he has contributed to the development of gemcitabine in bladder cancer, VEGFR and PD1 checkpoint inhibitors in renal cancer, and various hormonal and other targeted therapies in prostate cancer. He has also explored novel trial designs for growth inhibitory agents, considered the necessary clinical characteristics of both molecular and imaging predictive biomarkers, co-authored consensus statements on prostate cancer clinical trial methodology, and is currently addressing novel pharmacologic approaches to mitigating the cost of care and patient financial toxicity. Because of his experience, he is a member of several data safety monitoring boards for international phase 3 trials. He has also built and led various clinical trial endeavors including leading the renal cancer cadre in the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), building an infrastructure for coordinating multi-institutional clinical trials at the University of Chicago, leading a consortium of institutions to participate in the NCI Early Therapeutics Clinical Trial Network (ETCTN), leading the institutional effort as a lead site in the DOD funded Prostate Cancer Clinical Trials Network, and being the institutional lead for a collaborative multi-institutional Prostate Cancer SPORE. As the former Comprehensive Cancer Center Deputy Director and Program Leader for Clinical and Experimental Therapeutics, he has had a major role in growing clinical trial accrual to over 800 patients annually (of which 20% are underrepresented minorities), and contributed to planning and building outreach and population based research necessary for comprehensive status. As Dean for Clinical Research, he has been responsible for expanding clinical trials and clinical research activities throughout the enterprise across departments and centers as well as across the health system. He has enhanced the infrastructure and support, including informatics support, to provide the tools for faculty to conduct innovative clinical and translational research activities. These have, for example, led to the University of Chicago being a major site for accrual to COVID-19 vaccination studies with one of the highest accrual rates for underserved minorities in the nation.

Marie-Pier St-Laurent, MD
Uro-oncology Clinical Fellow, Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC

​Tyler F. Stewart, MD
Assistant Professor Medical Oncology,  University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA

Tyler Stewart is a genitourinary medical oncologist at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology at the UC San Diego School of Medicine. His research focuses on clinical trials and translational studies in urologic malignancies, with a special focus in bladder/upper tract cancer. He serves as principal investigator for trials investigating novel therapeutics for advanced and locally advanced urothelial carcinoma. He also serves as principal investigator for multiple investigator initiated and industry-led trials investigating novel biomarkers in plasma and urine to detect minimal residual disease for genitourinary malignancies. He is an active member of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology cooperative group, and currently sits on the NCCN guidelines panel for bladder and penile cancer. Dr. Stewart is board certified in Medical Oncology and Internal Medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Vermont College of Medicine and completed Internal Medicine Residency at UT Southwestern and Fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Yale University School of Medicine.

​Russell Szmulewitz, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, Program Leader, Genitourinary Oncology, Section of Hematology/Oncology, Dept. of Medicine, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Dr. Szmulewitz is a physician scientist whose primary academic focus is on characterizing and controlling the process of metastatic progression in men with prostate cancer. He received his medical degree from The University of Chicago, completed his residency from New York University Medical Center and fellowship from University of Chicago. He has a laboratory working with proteins called “metastasis suppressors” to slow down the growth of disseminated tumors in models of metastatic prostate cancer. In addition, Dr. Szmulewitz’s translational laboratory is using novel techniques to isolate and characterize prostate cancer cells from the blood of men with advanced prostate cancer. It is his goal to use these techniques to better personalize targeted therapies for metastatic prostate cancer.

Nitin Vaishampayan, MD
Radiation Oncologist, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI

​Ulka Vaishampayan, MD
Beverly Mitchell MD Research, Professor of Medicine, Ambulatory Clinical, Chief (Hem/Onc) Director MET (Phase I ) team, Co-Leader Translational Clinical Research Program, Rogel Cancer Center University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI

Ulka Vaishampayan, MD, is a Professor of Medicine and the Director MET (Phase 1) Program at the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center, Ann Arbor MI. She is appointed co- leader of the Translational and Clinical Research Program in the University of Michigan cancer center. She is Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group Advanced Renal Committee, a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Renal Task Force, and a board member of the Michigan Society of Hematology/Oncology. She is PI of a Dept of Defense Kidney Cancer Research grant and a co-PI of the Prostate Cancer Foundation Challenge award. Dr. Vaishampayan specializes in the treatment of genitourinary malignancies, including prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and renal cell carcinoma, and her research focuses on translational drug development. She has authored or coauthored numerous publications focusing on novel therapeutics for patients with genitourinary malignancies.

​Tian Zhang, MD, MHS
Associate Professor, Division of Hematology & Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine
UT Southwestern Medical Center, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dallas, TX

Dr. Tian Zhang is an Associate Professor at UT Southwestern Medical Center. She specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of genitourinary malignancies, including kidney, prostate, bladder, and testicular cancers. Dr. Zhang earned her medical degree from the Harvard-MIT Health Sciences and Technology (HST) program at Harvard Medical School. She completed a residency in internal medicine at Duke University, where she also received advanced training through a hematology-oncology fellowship. In addition, she earned a Master of Health Sciences in the Clinical Research Training Program at Duke in 2019. She is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in medical oncology and joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2021. Dr. Zhang is a clinical trialist and translational researcher focused on evaluating clinical development of novel therapeutics and evaluating biomarkers for genitourinary malignancies. She partners closely with a multidisciplinary team at UT Southwestern to provide data-driven clinical care for her patients. She has gained an international reputation developing clinical trials in kidney, prostate, and bladder cancers. She serves as the study chair for PDIGREE, a phase III trial in metastatic renal cell carcinoma. Dr. Zhang is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). She serves on numerous committees, including as Co-chair of the National Cancer Institute Genitourinary (GU) Steering Committee Renal Task Force and as Chair of the Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON) Academic Committee. She is a member of several ASCO clinical management guidelines committees as well as the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, GU Oncology, and Immuno-Oncology Committees. She brings a track record of research and mentoring to UT Southwestern. She has received multiple peer-reviewed grants, a Resident Research Mentoring Award from Duke, and, notably, the 2021 Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) Scholar Rising Stars Award.

​Alexandre R. Zlotta, MD, PhD
Professor and Howard Sokolowski Chair in Uro-Oncological Research, Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Toronto, Director, Uro-Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital, Associate Scientist,  Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Staff, Division of Surgical Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada

Dr. Alexandre Zlotta received his MD from the Free University of Brussels in 1989 and completed his Urology specialization as well as his PhD in Immunology in the same University. He worked as a Uro-Oncologist in the Department of Urology, Erasme Hospital, University Clinics of Brussels until 2006. In 2006, Dr. Zlotta was recruited to Toronto where he was appointed, and is currently, Professor in the Department of Surgery (Urology), University of Toronto, Director of Uro-Oncology, Mount Sinai Hospital, and surgeon at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network. He is also the Director of the Uro-Oncology Fellowship Program, University of Toronto and Director of the Bladder Cancer Research Program. Dr. Zlotta has served as Associate Editor to European Urology and is currently Consulting Editor for European Urology. He is also on several international editorial boards. In addition to being a surgeon, Dr. Zlotta is a translational research scientist with an extended research career that boasts success in both translational research and multi-institutional, international studies. He has a special interest in bladder and prostate cancer research where he has authored over 200 scientific papers. Dr. Zlotta is recognized with numerous awards, the most prestigious being the EAU Matula Award in 2000 and the EAU Platinum award in 2012.

​Nicholas Zorko, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, University of Minnesota,  Minneapolis, MN

Dr. Zorko received his MD and PhD at The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, where he first became interested in bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapies. He then completed his clinical residency and fellowship at the University of Minnesota Medical Center. His primary research interest is development of novel natural killer cells and immune engagers to treat solid tumors, with a particular focus on castration-resistant prostate cancer. He sees genitourinary oncology patients in the clinic and attends on the inpatient bone marrow transplant/cellular therapy team.