Gregory A. Otterson, MD
Dr. Gregory A. Otterson is a retired thoracic oncologist who most recently held positions at the James Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Ohio State University. He was the co-director of the Thoracic Oncology Program and a professor of internal medicine. Dr. Otterson specialized in the treatment of patients with thoracic malignancies, including pleural mesothelioma, adenocarcinoma, and thymic cancers.
Education and Career
Dr. Otterson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology and graduated Summa cum Laude from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska.
He earned his medical degree at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., graduating cum laude, and then completed a fellowship in Medical Oncology in the Clinical Oncology Program at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.
He completed his internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.[1]
After completing his medical education, Dr. Otterson served as an Instructor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda and as a lieutenant commander of the Public Health Service in the Research Officer’s Group of the National Institutes of Health.
Dr. Otterson was an attending physician in Solid Tumor Oncology at the James Cancer Center and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. He also held the titles of Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at the Ohio State University Medical School, Associate Division Director for Education, and Associate Director for the Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship Program.
Dr. Otterson’s clinical interests included applying combinations of conventional cytotoxic chemotherapy, novel targeted agents, and immunotherapy to patients with early-stage or advanced disease.
He valued the ability to work as part of a truly multidisciplinary team whose medical oncologists, thoracic surgeons, radiation oncologists, pulmonologists, pathologists, radiologists, pharmacists, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants collaborate to improve patients’ quality of life and develop effective therapies.
Board-certified in Medical Oncology and Internal Medicine, Dr. Otterson was a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Panel and a cadre member of the CALGB Respiratory Core Committee.
Research
Dr. Otterson was a member of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the Ohio State University James Comprehensive Cancer Center. In his research for the program, he focused on genetic and epigenetic changes in lung cancers.[2]
Dr. Otterson co-authored many articles that have appeared in such well-respected professional journals as Clinical Lung Cancer, Cancer, Molecular Cancer, and Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Professional Memberships
Dr. Otterson belonged to several professional organizations:[2]
- Fellow, American College of Physicians
- International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Member, Cancer And Leukemia Group B
- American Association for Cancer Research
- American Society of Clinical Oncology
- American Association for the Advancement of Science
- American College of Physicians
