Scientific Review Board
Dr Anja C. Roden, MD
Pathologist/Researcher Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN
Dr. Anja C. Roden, M.D., studies mediastinal neoplasms such as thymic epithelial tumors and primary mediastinal germ cell tumors from morphologic, immunophenotypical, molecular, and clinical aspects. She developed and maintains a database that now includes over 600 patients with these rare tumors. This database forms the foundation of many of her studies. In addition, she actively participates in multidisciplinary global studies of mediastinal neoplasms and multi-institutional studies of malignant mesotheliomas and lung tumors. Thymic epithelial tumors. Dr. Roden studies morphologic, immunophenotypical, and molecular features of thymic epithelial tumors, and develops and investigates new biomarkers in them. She correlates her findings with tumor staging and clinical parameters, including outcomes, of patients with these tumors.
Dr. Jonathan Lischalk, MD
Director of Research, Department of Radiation Oncology, New York University NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, Perlmutter Cancer Center
Dr. Jonathan Lischalk, MD., is the Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology at NYU Long Island School of Medicine, Director of Research, Department of Radiation Oncology, New York University – NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, Perlmutter Cancer Center, Medical Director, NYCyberKnife, Department of Radiation Oncology, NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island, Perlmutter Cancer Center. As the medical director of NYCyberKnife at Perlmutter Cancer Center—Manhattan, Dr. Lischalk specializes in managing prostate, lung, brain, and spine cancer using CyberKnife® radiosurgery. Dr. Lischalk also has authored nearly 40 peer-reviewed medical publications. He is a member of the American Society for Radiation Oncology, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the American Board of Radiology. He has also served as the president of the American College of Radiation Oncology Resident Committee.
Dr. Stephen Cassivi, MD, MS
Mayo Clinic Thoracic Surgery, Mayo Clinic Research – Rochester Minnesota
Stephen D. Cassivi, M.D is a thoracic surgeon (chest surgeon) with both clinical and research activities. He specializes in minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat lung cancer, esophageal cancer, as well as other conditions such as achalasia, myasthenia gravis, and thymic tumors. Dr. Cassivi’s research looks into surgical quality and outcomes, tissue and organ regeneration as well as applications for machine learning (AI) in diagnostics and remote monitoring.
Procedures Performed:
Esophageal reconstruction, Esophagectomy, Heller myotomy, Hyperhidrosis surgery, Lung volume reduction surgery, Minimally invasive esophagectomy, Minimally invasive surgery, Minimally invasive thymectomy, Robotic lobectomy, Robotic surgery, Segmentectomy, Supercharged jejunal interposition, Thymectomy, VATS, VATS lobectomy, Video mediastinoscopy
Dr. Sukhamani Padda, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine Director, Thoracic Medical Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Cancer Institute
Dr. Padda is the Director of Thoracic Medical Oncology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. After serving as faculty at Stanford University, in 2021, she joined Cedars-Sinai Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine. In collaboration with multi-disciplinary clinical experts and scientists, Dr. Padda’s goals are focused on expanding clinical trials and translational research in thoracic oncology. The ultimate goal of this research is to improve the outcomes of patients with thoracic malignancies. She works with thoracic oncology experts around the country, leading and participating in clinical trials through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP). She is the former chair and current member of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) Career Development/Fellowship Committee, which provides funding to early-career lung cancer researchers around the world. Dr. Padda’s research focus is on the clinical investigation of novel targeted therapeutics in genomic subsets of non-small cell lung cancer (e.g., EGFR, KRAS) and in the clinical investigation of novel immunotherapeutics across thoracic malignancies.
Dr. Christopher Nabel, MD, PH.D
Massachusetts General Hospital and Medical Instructor at Harvard Medical School- Massachusetts
Dr. Christopher Nabel, MD, is an Oncologist and Hematologist at Massachusetts General specializing in Thymic, Thoracic, and Lung cancers. He is also an esteemed instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Nabel at the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his Ph.D. in 2013 studying the chemical diversity of the genome. During his Ph.D. studies, he was inspired by a clinical case that demonstrated that research for rare diseases can yield discoveries with broad impact.
Dr. Jeffery Crawford, MD
Duke University Cancer Institute
Dr. Jeffery Crawford, MD, appointed to the George Barth Geller Distinguished Professor for Research in Cancer in oncology medicine, as well as Chief of the Medical Oncology and Transplantation Division in the Department of Medicine of the Duke University Cancer Institute. Dr. Crawford specializes in Lung cancer and new treatment approaches to cancer. He is the lead investigator in clinical trials of hematopoietic growth factors, biological agents, and targeted drug development. He also specializes in the elderly and supportive care of cancer patients.
Alicia Staley, Vice President
Medidata Solutions - Massachusetts
Alicia Staley is the VP, Patient Engagement at Medidata. She has over 20 years of experience in software design and information systems management and works to infuse the patient perspective throughout the product development lifecycle and help engage patients in novel ways. Patient Engagement, Patient Empowerment, mHealth, Clinical Trial Patient Recruitment & Retention, social media for Clinical Trial Awareness, Patient Education, Patient Research, and Digital Advertising Campaigns. Being a three-time cancer survivor, and during the past 10 years, she’s applied her engineering background to improve the patient experience for those dealing with cancer. With an extensive network of patient advocates and non-profit organizations, she collaborates with a wide range of stakeholders to help improve processes and policies that impact patient care and clinical trials. She’s co-led numerous research studies on how patients share information in online forums and seek out clinical trial opportunities.