Elizabeth M. Gleeson

Dr. Elizabeth M. Gleeson is a surgical oncologist who specializes in treating gastrointestinal cancer, hepatobiliary surgery, gastric cancer, cholangiocarcinoma, and colorectal cancer. She has a particular interest in treating peritoneal diseases like mesothelioma using a combination of cytoreductive surgery with Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy.[1]

Education and Career

Dr. Gleeson received her undergraduate degree from Rice University, followed by a Master’s in Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University School of Public Health.

Her medical training began at Tulane University School of Medicine, where she earned her medical degree, followed by an internship and residency in General Surgery at Drexel University College of Medicine, a fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and an HPB Transplant Surgery fellowship at the University of Edinburgh.[2]

Board-certified in General Surgery and Complex General Surgical Oncology, she joined the UNC Department of Surgical Oncology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Gleeson specializes in treating patients with hepatobiliary cancers and GI cancers.

She is skilled in the use of cytoreductive surgery followed by HIPEC, a treatment protocol proven to be among the most effective for managing peritoneal mesothelioma.

Dr. Gleeson says that her goal as a physician is to provide evidence-based care tailored to her patients’ needs and to help patients and their families decide on the best course of action for them.

Awards and Honors

• Joel J. Roslyn Resident Research Award, 2016
• Gold Humanism Honor Society Member, 2012
• Orleans Parish Medical Society Outstanding Medical Student Award, 2012
• MD/MPH Scholarship Recipient, Tulane University, 2008
• Society of Women Engineers Scholarship, 2003

Research

Dr. Gleeson’s research focuses on improving outcomes following regional cancer therapies and complex hepatobiliary surgery. She conducts large database research to identify areas for quality improvement and safety, and finds disparities in care.

She is an active author and co-author whose writing has appeared in dozens of professional journals, including:

• Postoperative Respiratory Failure Following Cytoreductive Surgery and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy is Associated with Volume of Intraoperative Crystalloid Administration and Worse Survival.

Pletcher E, Cha DE, Gleeson E, Shaltiel T, Magge D, Sarpel U, Cohen N, Labow D, Golas B.Ann Surg Oncol. 2023 Jan;30(1):437-444. doi: 10.1245/s10434-022-12199-4. Epub 2022 Jul 30.PMID: 35907991

• Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy does not increase risk of major complication or failure to rescue in cytoreductive surgery.

Macfie RC, Cha DE, Gleeson E, Yu A, Cohen N, Sarpel U, Golas B, Hiotis S, Labow D.J Surg Oncol. 2022 Sep;126(4):781-786. doi: 10.1002/jso.26969. Epub 2022 Jun 6.PMID: 35668645

• Lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio predicts survival after cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Pletcher E, Gleeson E, Shaltiel T, Leigh N, Sullivan B, Labow D, Magge D, Golas B, Cohen N, Sarpel U.Biomark Med. 2021 Aug;15(12):965-975. doi: 10.2217/bmm-2020-0720. Epub 2021 Jul 22.PMID: 34289740

• Peritoneal Cancers and Hyperthermic Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy.

Pletcher E, Gleeson E, Labow D.Surg Clin North Am. 2020 Jun;100(3):589-613. doi: 10.1016/j.suc.2020.02.009. Epub 2020 Apr 16.PMID: 32402303 Review.

Terri Heimann Oppenheimer

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Terri Oppenheimer has been writing about mesothelioma and asbestos topics for over ten years. She has a degree in English from the College of William and Mary. Terri’s experience as the head writer of our Mesothelioma.net news blog gives her a wealth of knowledge which she brings to all Mesothelioma.net articles she authors.

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Dave Foster

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Dave has been a mesothelioma Patient Advocate for over 10 years. He consistently attends all major national and international mesothelioma meetings. In doing so, he is able to stay on top of the latest treatments, clinical trials, and research results. He also personally meets with mesothelioma patients and their families and connects them with the best medical specialists and legal representatives available.

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