Shannon N. Westin, M.D., M.P.H.
Ovarian Cancer Moon Shot
About Dr. Westin
Shannon Neville Westin, M.D., is a clinical investigator with a focus on developmental therapeutics and the use of biomarkers to predict response and recurrence in gynecologic malignancies. She serves as co-leader of the Ovarian Cancer Moon Shot™ and is the director of Early Drug Development in the Gynecologic Oncology department. In this role, she serves as the principal investigator of multiple national and international novel treatment trials for gynecologic cancers.
Affiliations and Related Links
Fighting Cancer: It's Personal
What makes your fight against cancer personal?
I lost my mother to cancer when I was 17. I know every day is a
gift. I'm honored to spend my days fighting for my patients and their
families.
What makes the Moon Shots Program stand out?
We're truly a multi-disciplinary team! We include faculty and staff from across the institution who are passionate about improving the care of women with ovarian cancer. This effort has yielded great success across a number of our flagship projects – where we are leading the country in our efforts.
What's your Moon Shot focus?
My primary focus is to expand upon existing successes in ovarian
cancer and identify mechanism of resistance to therapies. We have
recently seen an explosion in the use of PARP and anti-angiogenic
inhibitors. With that increase in exposure, we need to prepare for
the development of resistance to these therapies.
What do you hope to accomplish?
Our ultimate goal is to end ovarian cancer. But in the short term, we're working to directly impact the care of women with ovarian cancer by identifying novel therapy combinations. Importantly, we're utilizing tissue and blood collection to determine markers of response and resistance to these therapies. This will help us determine which patients should be treated with a specific therapy.
What motivates and excites you?
Our group is on the cutting edge. We're identifying novel therapy
combinations that will impact thousands of women. We're truly working
together to move the needle and improve ovarian cancer outcomes.
What else do you want people to know about you and your work?
Our group is thrilled with our success to date, but we know we have
a long way to go. I'm so grateful for all of the women (and their
families) who have participated in our research. We couldn't do it
without them!