News

Heather Lyu, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgical Oncology, was chosen to join the Institute for Data Science in Oncology (IDSO) Internal Advisory Council (IAC). The institute fosters an ecosystem for clinicians, researchers, and a growing team of data scientists to pioneer the use of data science to explore new frontiers in cancer research and care.

Brian Bednarski, M.D., Associate Professor of Colon and Rectal Surgery and Surgical Oncology, was selected as the recipient of the 2023-2024 Clinical Education Outstanding GME Program Director Award. The purpose of this award is to recognize individuals who are committed to the educational mission and to optimizing the resident/fellow training experience.

Ching-Wei Tzeng, M.D., Associate Professor of Surgical Oncology, was selected as the recipient of the 2023-2024 Clinical Education Emil J. Freireich Award for Excellence in Education on behalf of the MDA Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME). This award recognizes individuals with exemplary leadership in education.

A February 2024 MD Anderson News Release announced Phase II trial results published in Nature Cancer. The MD Anderson-led Phase II trial with co-principal investigator Christina Roland, M.D., associate professor of Surgical Oncology, suggests neoadjuvant immunotherapy is safe and may be an effective option for patients with soft-tissue sarcomas. Click here to read the full press release.

Ashley Holder, M.D., has been elected to the Academic Surgical Congress (ASC) Leadership Committee. Her term on this committee will begin at the close of the 2024 ASC on February 8, 2024, and will run for two years.

Rebecca Snyder, M.D., has been appointed to serve as a Member of the Society of Surgical Oncology’s (SSO) Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Disease Site Work Group. Her term begins on 4/1/2024 and concludes on 3/31/2026.

Christopher Scally, M.D., has been appointed as Co-Chair of the Membership Committee for the Association for Academic Surgery (AAS).

Jen Wargo, M.D., has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) for  her contributions to the understanding of melanoma treatment response and resistance to cancer therapies, including groundbreaking discoveries that reveal how the gut microbiome influences responses to immunotherapy.

Charles Balch, M.D., was inducted as an Honorary Member of the Mexican National Academy of Medicine, the first person from MD Anderson to receive their highest level of membership.

Jeffrey Gershenwald, M.D., has been elected as the next Co-Chair of the National Council for Skin Cancer Prevention (NCSCP), beginning January 2024, to serve a 3-year volunteer term.

Brian Badgwell, M.D., has been appointed to the Hamill Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Honor of Dr. Richard G. Martin, Sr. This endowed distinguished professorship was established in 2001 by the Hamill foundation in honor of Dr. Richard G. Martin Sr., to be used by the Surgical Oncology Department.

Heather Lyu, M.D., will serve as an Associate Editor on the editorial team for npj Digital Medicine. In this role, she will be responsible for supervising the peer-review of manuscripts submitted to the journal.

Camille Canty, APRN, has been selected as a recipient for the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) 2023 APP Travel Grant on behalf of the AHPBA Foundation.

Ching-Wei Tzeng, M.D., has been selected as a recipient for the 2023 Karen and Josef F. Fischer International Traveling Fellowship Award for Surgeons in Academic Practice by the PG/CME Committee of the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT).

Hop Tran Cao, M.D., received Cancer Therapy Evaluation Program (CTEP) approval for his proposal, “A Phase II Trial of Durvalumab with Gemcitabine and Cisplatin as Neoadjuvant Therapy for High-Risk Resectable Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma.” It has been designated as an Experimental Therapeutics Clinical Trials Network (ETCTN) trial and Central Protocol Writing Support (CPWS) trial.

Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D., received the Flance-Karl Award at the American Surgical Association (ASA) meeting. The Flance-Karl Award is presented to a surgeon who has made a seminal contribution in basic laboratory research that has application to clinical surgery.

Rebecca Snyder's, M.D., proposal to the Lustgarten Equity, Accessibility, and Diversity (LEAD) Program was been approved for $450K of funding over three years by the Lustgarten Foundation Board of Directors. Dr. Snyder was also invited to serve as Chair of the American Board of Surgery's (ABS) Complex General Surgical Oncology Certifying Exam Broad HPB Consultant Committee.

Timothy Newhook, M.D., was selected into the 2023-2025 class of the AHPBA Academy leadership program on behalf of the Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA).

Jennifer Wargo, M.D., was selected an inaugural member of the James P. Allison Institute. The group will bring diverse expertise in immunobiology to lead groundbreaking research that will deepen our understanding of the immune system and bring the benefits of immunotherapy to all patients. Dr. Wargo also received the Jack and Beverly Randall Prize for Excellence in Cancer Research as a 2023 Endowed Award Winner for MD Anderson’s Celebration of Faculty Excellence.

Nancy Perrier, M.D., has been selected as the recipient of the 2023 FIRMO Parathyroid Medal. This recognition is given every two years to honor scientists who have made important contributions in the field of parathyroid disorders.

Dana Cox, PA-C, will take on the role of APP Professionalism Ambassador (APA) for the Center of Professionalism, Support, and Success (CPSS). The primary mission of CPSS is to foster and promote a strong culture of professionalism throughout MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Keith Fournier, M.D., has been announced as the inaugural winner of MD Anderson's Award for Professional Excellence (APEX). This award recognizes professional behavior and support of psychological safety in work environments.

Naruhiko Ikoma, M.D., received R01 funding for a collaboration study with UT Houston to develop a novel fluorescent analog targeting SSTR2 which will enable fluorescent-guided surgery for patients with pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
He was also named a 2022 Andrew Sabin Family Fellow. The Sabin Family Fellowship encourages impactful cancer research at MD Anderson in the areas of basic science, clinical, physician-scientist and population and quantitative science.

Elizabeth Grubbs, M.D., was selected to fill the newly created role of Director of Faculty Academic Career Development. As Director, Dr. Grubbs will provide oversight and support for the integration of career development into the life of all faculty at MD Anderson. She was also accepted as a Fellow in the 2022-2023 Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine® (ELAM) Program at Drexel University College of Medicine. The ELAM program is a one-year fellowship of leadership training aimed at expanding the national pool of women candidates for leadership in academic medicine, public health and pharmacy.

Mary Austin, M.D., will serve as Director and Section Chief of the Pediatric Surgical Oncology Section.

Ching-Wei Tzeng, M.D., will serve as the first department Vice Chair for Clinical Operations. 

Ervin Brown, M.D., reached the impressive milestone of implanting his 15,000th vascular access port. 2022 also marks the 40th anniversary of the first surgical port.

Paul Mansfield, M.D., performed the first intraperitoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy procedure (HIPEC) at MD Anderson for a patient with metastatic colorectal cancer. November 4th marks the 30th anniversary of the innovative operation.

Hop Tran Cao, M.D., was announced as the new Minimally Invasive New Technology in Oncologic Surgery (MINTOS) medical director. MINTOS is comprised of surgeons throughout the Division of Surgery and seeks to identify, develop, and integrate new technologies.

Lee Ellis, M.D., was honored by The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) as the 2022 recipient of the Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research.

Emily Keung, M.D., was selected as the 2022 Rosenberg Scholar by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). The award supports investigators who are emerging leaders in immuno-oncology and focused on a novel approach to advancing the field.

Rae Reynolds, Ph.D., APRN, was selected as the 2022 Loretta Ford MD Anderson Award recipient. Among her many accomplishments, Rae is credited for helping to build one of the largest and most diverse teams of APPs at MD Anderson who provide care to surgical oncology patients in clinics, operating rooms and throughout the hospital.

Millette DeVille earned the MD Anderson Cancer Center Leadership Institute Emotional Intelligence Certificate. This Emotional Intelligence Certificate program was led by Case Western Reserve University Weatherhead Executive Education in partnership with MD Anderson Leadership Institute.