Physicians Revolutionize Private Practice Care With a Sub-Specialization Program
Parvinderjit Khanuja, MD, FACP, President of Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers in Phoenix, has been committed to delivering comprehensive, high-quality, and compassionate care for over 3 decades. The organization is revolutionizing private practice cancer care in the greater Phoenix area through the introduction of a sub-specialization program.
The following individuals have been appointed in their respective fields within the organization.
Darshil Shah, MD, MPH, is a Medical Oncologist and Director of Gastrointestinal Malignancies. He is involved in the education of medical students and residents from Creighton University School of Medicine and Midwestern University and serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at Creighton University.
Chad Cherington, MD, serves as the Division Director of Genitourinary Malignancies, specializing in genitourinary and skin cancers, as well as sarcomas and hematologic disorders. In addition to providing clinical trials, he is interested in the ways in which lifestyle, integrative therapies, and nutrition could impact cancer growth and treatment.
Rajesh N. Kukunoor, MD, is the Director of Lung, Head & Neck Oncology Division. His clinical practice is focused on lung and thoracic malignancies, head and neck and genitourinary malignancies, and hematologic disorders. He also serves as Assistant Professor at Creighton University School of Medicine.
Jason A. Salganick, MD, is a Medical Oncologist and Director of Myeloma & Lymphoma and actively involved in the education of medical students and residents from Creighton University School of Medicine, and also serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Hematology and Medical Oncology.
Rakesh K. Bagai, MD, is a Medical Oncologist and Director of Skin & Sarcoma. He specializes in gastrointestinal, CNS, and skin and sarcoma malignancies. He has actively been involved in clinical research trials to further understand factors in cancer resistance and to develop novel treatment strategies.
Sumeet K. Mendonca, MD, serves as the Director Of Breast Oncology at Ironwood Cancer and Research Centers. Besides her commitment to her patients as a clinical oncologist, she also continues to be actively involved in research, serving as an investigator on clinical trials as well as partaking in community initiatives where she is an active speaker.
Mikhail I. Shtivelband, MD, PhD, is a Medical Oncologist and Director of Research. Treating patients with gastrointestinal malignancies, myeloma, lymphoma, and hematological disorders, he has particular interest in developing research programs to bring the newest advances in the field of oncology and hematology to our community.
Sujith R. Kalmadi, MD, is a Medical Oncologist and Chief Medical Officer. He is actively involved in the education of medical students and residents from Creighton University School of Medicine and Midwestern University, and he serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor in Hematology and Medical Oncology at both institutions. His areas of clinical and research interests include several solid tumors, gastrointestinal malignancies, and hematological disorders. He has been the principal investigator in several innovative clinical trials across the years, which has led to FDA approval of several lifesaving cancer therapeutics.
With the objective of providing personalized treatment and clinical trials, while retaining ease of access for patients, the organization is bringing academic-level expertise and advanced care to the local community. The program consists of six specialized subdivisions, including Gastrointestinal, Breast, Lung, Head and Neck, Myeloma and Lymphoma, Genitourinary, Cutaneous Malignancies, and Sarcoma.
The decision to sub-specialize originates from a commitment to keep pace with the rapidly changing field of cancer care. The program empowers physicians to continue deepening their expertise, allowing them to focus on the latest treatments, precision medicine, and emerging therapies within their sub-specialization. Various experts will lead each of the sub-specialty divisions.
World-Renowned Biochemist Joins Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
One of the world's foremost biochemists has joined Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, bringing decades of groundbreaking research in genetics, epigenetics, and cellular processes.
Danny Reinberg, PhD, a biochemistry and molecular mechanisms expert, is currently the only Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator in Florida-a prestigious designation that indicates the powerful impact of his studies. He will also be the Associate Director of Faculty Training and Recruitment at Sylvester, Associate Director of Faculty Training and Recruitment at Miller School of Medicine, and a Distinguished Professor at the Miller School.
"Dr. Danny Reinberg is one of the most accomplished biomedical scientists in the world. He was identified early in his career as a productive and creative scientist by HHMI, and has received longstanding support as an HHMI Investigator that has enabled him to make numerous scientific discoveries in the field of epigenetics over the years," said Stephen Nimer, MD, Director of Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Oscar de la Renta Endowed Chair in Cancer Research, and Executive Dean for Research at the Miller School. "An icon in his field, he brings tremendous energy, expertise, and commitment to Sylvester and the Department of Human Genetics that will further elevate our cancer research and its impact on our community. Dr. Reinberg is also committed to helping us bring the brightest and most diverse students and trainees to our institution and creating an environment of collaboration that will guide our junior faculty as well."
For 28 years, Reinberg's scientific research has been supported by HHMI. As an HHMI Investigator, he is among an elite group of 260 scientists and only 58 U.S. research institutions who tackle difficult research questions that may take years to answer. In addition to conducting original research, HHMI investigators also direct laboratory research teams, mentor and train the next generation of scientists, and teach and play leadership roles at their host institutions.
Joining Sylvester after 17 years at New York University Langone School of Medicine, Reinberg is looking forward to the next chapter in his stellar career. "I am excited about bringing my research to Miami and expanding my laboratory team," he said. "As South Florida's only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer center, Sylvester has a strong foundation in place for future scientific discoveries. One of my goals is to bring other outstanding scientists to Sylvester; attract more students and postdoctoral trainees from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe; and build the pipeline of new cancer researchers."
Reinberg is a lauded biochemist whose groundbreaking work has significantly advanced understanding of fundamental biological processes, such as the expression of genes that "turn on" or "turn off" basic cellular processes.
"Cancer is a combination of genetic mutations and epigenetic changes that arise in cells in response to their environment," he said. "I want to understand the mechanisms driving those disease processes so that they can be fixed."
Breast Cancer Coalition Awards Grants to Support Research
Three research proposals representing groundbreaking studies at the University of Rochester and Cornell University have been awarded funding by the Breast Cancer Coalition. Since 2003, the coalition has annually awarded grants to fund innovative projects with the potential to yield significant medical breakthroughs in the cause and prevention of breast cancer, prevention of metastasis, and cure.
This year, the coalition is awarding Anushka Dongre, PhD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biomedical Science at Cornell University, a Breast Cancer Research Faculty Grant of $50,000. In addition, two young researchers will receive the Pamela Delp Polashenski M.D. Breast Cancer Research Trainee Grant/Fellow Grant: Nicole Dominique Sempertegui, a PhD candidate at Cornell University, and Emily Campbell Whitt, a PhD candidate from the University of Rochester. Each will receive a grant of $25,000 to support their investigations.
Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a cell-biological process that converts epithelial cells into mesenchymal states. The activation of the EMT program in breast cancer cells facilitates tumor progression, metastasis, and resistance to cancer treatments. Preliminary data suggest that the EMT program could regulate the expression of CD73, which is an enzyme that generates immunosuppressive adenosine as a powerful strategy employed by tumors to escape immunosurveillance. Dongre hypothesizes that the expression of CD73 is regulated by the activation of the EMT program and that the suppression of CD73 would promote the formation of anti-tumor T-cells, thereby sensitizing more-mesenchymal breast tumors to checkpoint blockade immunotherapy.
Sempertegui's research is titled "Investigating the Regulation of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Behavior by Bone Mineralization and Breast Cancer-Derived Factors During Bone Metastasis." Loss of bone mineral and decreased bone density predict increased risk of bone metastasis. As tumor cells migrate in the skeleton and localize to specific regions, they interact with the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The interaction between tumor cells and MSCs determines if the tumor cells remain dormant or metastasize. This research studies the impact of bone mineralization on MSC and how it ultimately affects breast cancer growth in bone.
Whitt's research is titled "Epigenetic Regulation of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Invasion and Metastasis." Epigenetics is the study of stable changes in cell function that do not involve alteration in the DNA sequence. Epigenetic alterations are changes in the chemical structure of DNA and associated proteins that do not change the DNA coding sequence. These modifications include the addition and removal of small chemical groups to histone, the group of proteins around which DNA is wrapped. The loss of one of these modifications on histone H4 causes breast cancer cells to become more invasive. Whitt's research investigates how the loss of this modification dysregulates gene expression and may promote cell invasion and metastasis.