Faculty
UPMC
I am an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. I am a surgeon scientist with a busy clinical practice and an NIH-funded basic science laboratory.
Clinical: My surgical oncology practice includes a mixture of primary gastrointestinal malignancies, sarcomas, melanomas, neuroendocrine tumors, as well as some hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery. I have significant experience with laparoscopic and robotic surgery.
Research: I lead my own NIH-funded basic science/ translational research laboratory. The overall goal of my research has been to elucidate the role of mucin 2 (MUC2) protein in the tumor biology of mucinous colorectal and appendix cancer, determine whether modulation of mechanisms associated with MUC2 protein production impacts tumor growth and chemosensitivity, and identify novel mucin-inhibitory and mucolytic agents that may be translated to clinical trials. I have successfully secured 5 basic science research grants; 3 as a co-investigator and 2 as a principal investigator, including NIH-R21 (PI), NIH-RO3 (Co-I), and DOD (Co-I) grants. Since joining the Division in 2011 I have helped publish 59 clinical and basic science manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals.
Teaching: I am actively involved in the clinical education of surgical oncology fellows, surgical residents, and medical students, and supervise two postdoctoral research fellows in my laboratory.
Service: At a national level, I serve as an editorial board member in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Section of the Annals of Surgical Oncology, the official journal of the Society of Surgical Oncology. I was nominated to the Society of Surgical Oncology Task Force Committee tasked with creating clinical pathways and billing/coding standards for peritoneal surface malignancies in 2018. I was also nominated to the Society of Surgical Oncology peritoneal surface malignancy working group in 2018 tasked with developing and expanding educational initiatives, developing cross-collaborations, and improving clinical care for such diseases.