Mesothelioma Doctors

Abraham Lebenthal, M.D.

Dr. Lebenthal is an expert in mesothelioma surgery, having trained under Dr. David Sugarbaker in general thoracic surgery at the Brigham and Women’s hospital. He is himself a veteran, and currently works at the Harvard and Boston University-affiliated West Roxbury VA hospital, where he is pleased to give back to a community which has given so much for its country.[1]

Anne Tsao, M.D.

Dr. Tsao works as an associate professor in the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas in the Department of Thoracic and Head & Neck Medical Oncology. Her expertise is in treating patients who have both thoracic cancers and cancers of the head and neck. As a clinician and scientist, she is involved in clinical research as well as translational lab research with a focus aimed at the identification of novel therapies and the development of new strategies for treating malignant mesothelioma and aerodigestive cancers.[2]

Brian Loggie, M.D.

Dr. Loggie is a physician and researcher most noted for his work in pioneering a treatment for malignant mesothelioma called heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy in the 1990s. The treatment–which is now growing to be more widely-used than ever before due to its effectiveness in eradicating many types of cancers–involves a combination of hyperthermic chemotherapy medications and surgical procedures.[3]

Daniel Sterman, M.D.

Dr. Sterman is a physician specializing in critical care and pulmonology. He currently serves in several positions at New York University’s Langone Medical Center and Perlmutter Cancer Center. His positions allow him to work directly with patients, to be an educator, and to lead and direct research. His research into cancers, including gene therapy to treat mesothelioma, has gained him international recognition and the admiration and respect of both peers and patients.[4]

David Bartlett, M.D.

Dr. Bartlett is an expert surgical oncologist who specializes in managing complex and advanced abdominal diseases, abdominal sarcomas, gastric cancer, and liver and bile duct cancer. He serves as vice chairman of the David C. Koch Regional Perfusion Cancer Therapy Center as well as vice chairman of surgical oncology and gastrointestinal services at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He is also the director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute’s Multidisciplinary Disease Site Clinical and Research Programs.[5]

David M. Jablons, M.D.

Dr. Jablons studied medicine at the Albany Medical College of Union University New York, having won a preceptorship studying under Dr. Steven Rosenberg at the National Cancer Institute in his fourth year of study there. His training with Dr. Rosenberg sparked a deep interest in translational science, and Dr. Jablons currently serves as the chief of General Thoracic Surgery, director of the Thoracic Oncology Lab, and program leader of Thoracic Oncology at UCSF as well as being the Nan T. McEvoy Distinguished Professor of Thoracic Surgical Oncology.[6]

David Rice, M.B. B.Ch.

Dr. Rice received his medical degree at the School of Medicine, Trinity College, the University of Dublin. Then he completed his internship at St. James Hospital, Dublin, Ireland in 1992. Dr. Rice joined the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center where he is a Professor of Surgery. His clinical interests include: thoracic malignancies, thoracic surgery, and video assisted thoracoscopic surgery in thoracic malignancies.[7]

Eric Vallieres, M.D.

Dr. Vallieres studied medicine at Quebec’s Université Laval and was a resident at the University of Toronto. He later completed a fellowship in Bordeaux, France under the tutelage of Professor Louis Couraud. Dr. Vallieres currently serves as surgical director of the Lung Cancer Program at Seattle’s Swedish Medical Center, focusing his research on surgical treatment of lung cancer and induction chemotherapy. He specializes in malignant mesothelioma, chest wall tumors, hyperhidrosis, bronchoscopy, and esophageal achalasia.[8]

Harvey Pass, M.D.

Dr. Pass is the chief of thoracic surgery at NYU’s Langone Medical Center where he was instrumental in creating a fellowship in thoracic surgery. Also a researcher focused on mesothelioma, he leads the Early Detection Research Network Biomarker Discovery Laboratory for Mesothelioma and the Mesothelioma Pathogenesis Program Project, funded by the National Cancer Institute. In his research, Dr. Pass has helped to develop the use of photodynamic therapy, an innovative cancer treatment that uses light-sensitive drugs to target tumors.[9]

Hedy Lee Kindler, M.D.

Dr. Kindler’s medical specialty is in treating several forms of cancer, such as gastrointestinal stromal tumors, pancreatic cancer, and mesothelioma. She is also actively involved in research endeavors that focus on investigating new agents for treating these cancer types, and designing and leading various clinical trials for patients who suffer with these illnesses.[10]

J.F. Pingpank Jr., MD, FACS

Dr. Pingpank is a surgical oncologist specializing in cancers of the gastrointestinal tract and peritoneum. He is an associate professor and surgeon at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center. Among his areas of specialty, research, and treatment expertise is the care of patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. He has contributed to the development of HIPEC, one of the most successful treatment strategies for peritoneal mesothelioma. He is one of few specialists offering this kind of treatment, which includes surgery and direct chemotherapy.[11]

Jacques P. Fontaine, M.D.

Dr. Jacques Fontaine is a surgeon and Montreal native of Lebanese descent, board-certified by both the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. As well as being the lead thoracic surgeon at the Moffitt Cancer Center’s Mesothelioma Research and Treatment Center, he also teaches at the University of South Florida as an associate professor of surgery. Dr. Fontaine is also a Fellow at both the Royal College of Surgeons of Canada and the American College of Surgeons.

Dr. Fontaine’s clinical interests include lung cancers, mesothelioma, esophageal cancers, and thymoma. As an experienced thoracic surgeon, he is an expert in utilizing minimally-invasive technologies to treat various chest-related malignancies. He believes strongly in a multidisciplinary approach to treatment and research and continues to actively contribute to clinical research endeavors.[12]

John Chabot, M.D.

Dr. John A. Chabot has achieved expertise in the surgical treatment of both abdominal mesothelioma and pancreatic cancer with almost thirty years of medical experience. He is the head of the Division of Gastrointestinal and Endocrine Surgery at the New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan as well as the executive director of the Pancreas Center there. Dr. Chabot is not only a practitioner, but a teacher, as he serves as the David V. Habif Professor of Clinical Surgery at the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University.[13]

Joseph Friedberg, M.D.

Dr. Friedberg received his undergraduate education at the University of Pennsylvania and completed his medical degree at Harvard Medical School. He obtained his training in general surgery from Massachusetts General Hospital and is a board-certified general surgeon and thoracic surgeon, having attained his specialization at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Friedberg currently serves as the Charles Reid Edwards, MD Professor in Surgery and division head at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.[14]

Lee Krug, M.D.

Dr. Krug is a medical oncologist and the director of the Mesothelioma Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the same facility in which he completed his oncology fellowship as a student. His leadership in research and patient treatment is making real strides in helping patients live longer and more comfortably. Dr. Klug’s clinical and research interests and specialties are multi-modal treatment of mesothelioma and thoracic cancers, vaccine treatments, and leading clinical trials of novel treatment strategies.[15]

Marcelo DaSilva, M.D.

Dr. Marcelo DaSilva is board-certified as a critical-care, cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon and serves as the Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Chicago’s Loyola University Medical Center. Previously, he worked as a thoracic surgeon at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and as a surgery instructor at Harvard Medical School. He also did work as a consultant for Boston’s Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Dr. DaSilva serves as the program director of the International Midwest Mesothelioma Program as well as being the president elect of the Thoracic Surgery Society of Illinois. He is the co-director of the Cardinal Bernadine Cancer Center’s Lung Cancer Center and is both a thoracic-cardiovascular surgeon and general surgeon with the Stritch School of Medicine at Chicago’s Loyola University Medical Center.[16]

Matthew Steliga M.D.

Dr. Matthew Steliga is a thoracic surgeon specializing in cancer and mesothelioma. He is an instructor and surgeon at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Arkansas. He trained and taught at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, a leading facility for the management of mesothelioma. Dr. Steliga specializes in minimally invasive surgeries and is known for providing his patients with multiple treatment options and compassionate care.[17]

Paul Sugarbaker, M.D.

Dr. Sugarbaker’s renown comes from his years of service as a clinical investigator, lecturer, and mentor as well as a colorectal cancer surgeon and gastrointestinal oncologist. He is also an expert in rare disorders such as peritoneal carcinomatosis, peritoneal mesothelioma, abdominal sarcomas, and pseudomyxoma peritonei. He has spearheaded the development and use of specialized treatments such as cytoreductive surgery using heated intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy and hyperthermia techniques utilizing the Thermotron RF-8. He is also widely published, with over 780 academic journal articles, textbook chapters and textbooks including a text about sarcoma surgery which has been published in five different languages.[18]

R. Taylor Ripley M.D.

Dr. R. Taylor Ripley is a thoracic oncology surgeon at Baylor College of Medicine’s Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Division of General Thoracic Surgery in Texas. He works out of the Baylor Clinic and the Baylor St. Luke Medical Center. He is also the leader of the Lung Institute’s Mesothelioma Treatment Center. Dr. Ripley is a board-certified thoracic surgeon who specializes in robotic surgery and mesothelioma. He works at Baylor as part of a multi-disciplinary team helping improve surgical treatments for mesothelioma patients.[19]

Raffit Hassan, M.D.

As a senior investigator and medical oncologist at the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Hassan has developed new therapies for treating mesothelioma. He currently conducts clinical trials for two new immunotherapies targeting mesothelin, a tumor agent involved in mesothelioma development. He serves as chair of the Science Advisory Board at the Meso Foundation and received Career Development Awards from both the National Institutes of Health and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.[20]

Raja Flores, M.D.

Dr. Flores is noted as a leader and pioneer in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma, and currently serves as the Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery as well as the Ames Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Mount Sinai Medical Center. He utilizes a minimally-invasive surgical technique (VATS lobectomy) to effectively treat patients with lung cancer.[21]

Raphael Bueno, M.D.

Dr. Raphael Bueno is a leader in mesothelioma research and patient care. As a director of the International Mesothelioma Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, he is leading cutting edge research and treatment for this rare cancer. He worked alongside Dr. David Sugarbaker, the previous director, for ten years and learned from this world-renowned expert in mesothelioma care. Dr. Buenos research interests focus on better diagnostic techniques for mesothelioma, surgical procedures for cancer, and the use of chemotherapy drugs along with surgical treatment.[22]

Robert B. Cameron, M.D.

Dr. Cameron is a surgeon at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and West Los Angeles Veterans Administration Medical Center. He heads the Comprehensive Mesothelioma Program at UCLA and serves as an advisor to the Pacific Mesothelioma Center. Dr. Cameron has helped to pioneer lung-sparing surgeries for mesothelioma patients, helping them avoid more radical, dangerous procedures while still enjoying a longer life with a better quality of life and fewer risks and complications.[23]

Rodney Landreneau, M.D.

Rodney J. Landreneau, MD is a board-certified cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon. Dr. Landreneau completed residencies in both general surgery and thoracic surgery, at the University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas and the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, respectively.

Dr. Landreneau is noted for his years of experience in managing pleural mesothelioma and surgically treating disorders like myasthenia gravis and other mediastinal illnesses. His clinical expertise includes minimally-invasive and video-assisted surgery, treatment and surgery of lung cancer patients, esophageal cancer patients, as well as treatment of non-malignant esophageal disorders such as gastric reflux, among others.[24]

Shanel Bhagwandin D.O.

Dr. Shanel Bhagwandin is a surgical oncologist and doctor of osteopathic medicine specializing in difficult and recurrent types of abdominal cancer, including peritoneal mesothelioma. He trained in surgical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and is one of only a handful of doctors that are board certified in complex general surgical oncology. Currently working as the director of the Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology Program at Jupiter Medical Center in South Florida, Dr. Bhagwandin has expanded the department and introduced the innovative new treatment known as HIPEC to patients in the region.[25]

Sophie Dessureau, M.D.

Dr. Dessureau is a professor of surgical oncology at the University of South Florida and a gastrointestinal surgical oncologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center. Devoted to both patient care and student training, Dr. Dessureau spends her time treating patients and educating fellows and residents. She specializes in rare anal and colorectal cancers as well as cancers of the peritoneum, including peritoneal mesothelioma. She is one of few surgeons who performs HIPEC, an innovative and effective treatment for combining surgery and chemotherapy to treat peritoneal mesothelioma.[26]

Tawee Tanvetyanon, M.D.

Dr. Tanvetyanon practices medical oncology, specializing in chemotherapy for all types of malignant mesothelioma (pleural, peritoneal and pericardial). He is a proponent of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy and utilizes many novel treatment methods via his work in clinical trials. He is an Associate Professor of Oncologic Sciences at the Moffitt Cancer Center at Tampa’s University of South Florida, and is widely published with various academic articles penned on patient survival and treatment outcomes.[27]

Valerie Rusch, M.D.

Dr. Rusch is a board-certified expert in thoracic surgery – one of the first women in the country to become such – with more than twenty-five years of experience in this arena. She specializes in diagnosing and treating patients with tracheal, bronchial, esophageal, pleural and lung cancer, as well as those with cancers of the chest wall and mediastinum.[28]

W. Charles Conway II, M.D.

Dr. Conway received his medical degree from Wayne State University. Having received his internship and residency at Wayne State University, he also went overseas to Ghana to complete international studies. Dr. Conway is board certified in general surgery. His clinical interests include peritoneal malignant mesothelioma, esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, GI oncologic surgery, gallbladder cancer, metastatic disease to the liver, carcinoid tumors, abdominal sarcoma, and liver surgery.[29]