I believe that we are here for a given purpose, and we are primed for these challenges. I lost my strong Marine father to small cell lung cancer, when I was only 15 years old. His loss deeply impacted my life. Hope has brought my life clarity, to serve as a thoracic oncologist, and interminably pursue the discovery of new therapeutics and improve quality of life for patients experiencing similar afflictions. As a translational physician scientist, in collaboration with basic scientists and clinicians, I seek to help shape perspective, efforts, and guide funding to areas of unmet clinical need in SCLC. Under the mentorship of Drug Discovery investigator Dr. Uwe Rix, clinical oncologist Dr. Michael Shafique, and the IASLC ILCF research fellowship, I investigated the role of mechanism-derived combinations with APR-246 in SCLC, in anticipation of mechanisms of acquired resistance. This research led to the discovery of a novel combination of APR-246 with MCL1 inhibitors. We hope for translational application of this combination with an investigator-initiated trial proposal in the future. Our patients are in desperate need for new treatments and hope for this recalcitrant cancer. Stigma for small cell lung cancer is unwarranted, and our patients deserve empathetic support. It is my lifelong aspiration to focus on the pursuit of novel therapeutic strategies and improve care for patients affected by small cell lung cancer, to fundamentally transform gold standards for this horrible disease.
Ph.D. - University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 08/2011
Post-doctoral Fellowship - University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 07/2012
Fellowship - University of South Florida/Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL 06/2022
Residency - Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 06/2019
M.D. - University of Texas Health Houston McGovern Medical School, Dallas, TX 05/2016
