Trainees

July 2024 to June 2025

  • T. Hess, MD (General Surgery Resident)
  • Rachel Nation, MD (General Surgery Resident)
  • Hannah Sofield, MD (General Surgery Resident)
  • Gena Topper, MD (General Surgery Resident)
  • Chelsea Katz, MD (Gyn/Onc Fellow)
    • Tumor microenvironment in high- versus low-NRF2 high grade serous ovarian cancer and the impact on prognosis
      Abstract selected for poster presentation at the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) Winter Meeting 2025, January 30-February 1, 2025 in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.
  • Zachary Ladd, MS (M3 Student)

July 2023 to June 2024

  • Yazid Khalil Mo Ghanem, MD (General Surgery Resident)
    • Novel Epigenetic Therapy With Romidepsin And Mithramycin As Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy Perfusion Agents For Peritoneal Colorectal Cancer: 
      Abstract selected for a Quick Shot Presentation at the ACS Clinical Congress, October 19-22, 2024, San Francisco, CA.
       
    • Promising Potential for Mithramycin A, a novel epigenetic antineoplastic agent, in cytoreductive surgery for peritoneal colorectal cancer:
      Abstract (one of only 24) accepted for presentation at the 39th Annual SSAT Residents and Fellows Research Conference, May 18-21, 2024, Washington, DC. Abstract presented at the Plenary Session and at an SSAT Annual Meeting scientific session.
       
    • Improving the Readability of Patient Education Materials About the Whipple Procedure Using Artificial Intelligence, Ghanem YK, Rouhi AD, et al. Accepted for a Mini Oral Presentation at AHPBA 2024, April 4-7, 2024, Miami, FL.
       
    • Use of Novel Epigenetic Therapy Agent Romidepsin in Cytoreductive Surgery for Peritoneal Colorectal Cancer, Ghanem YK et al. Accepted for an ePoster at the Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) 2024, March 20-23, 2024, Atlanta, GA.
       
  • Hansa Joshi, MD (General Surgery Resident)
    • Transformation From Lung Adenocarcinoma To Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Drug Resistance And The Role Of Nrf2:
      Abstract selected for a full oral presentation at the ACS Clinical Congress, October 19-22, 2024, San Francisco, CA.
    • Transformation from lung adenocarcinoma to squamous cell carcinoma: Drug resistance and the role of NRF2, Presentation, Joshi, Hansa
      1st place winner 
      at the Resident Research Day 2024, June 20, 2024
    • Transformation in non-small cell lung cancer subtypes: Drug resistance and the role of NRF2, Poster, Joshi, Hansa
      2nd place winner at the Camden Scholars' Forum 2024, May 2, 2024
       
  • Matthew Moccia, MD (General Surgery Resident)
    • Development Of A Bioluminescent Murine Neuroendocrine Tumor Cell Line For The Study Of Epigenetic And Immunologic Treatments In Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors:
      Abstract selected for a Full Oral Presentation at the ACS Clinical Congress, October 19-22, 2024, San Francisco, CA.
       
    • Clinicopathologic Trends In Adrenocortical Carcinoma Over A Recent Decade:
      Abstract selected for an in-person e-poster presentation at the ACS Clinical Congress, October 19-22, 2024, San Francisco, CA.
       
    • Zena Saleh, Matthew C. Moccia, Zachary Ladd, Upasana Joneja, Yahui Li, Francis Spitz, Young Ki Hong, and Tao Gao. Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Signaling Pathways and Epigenetic Regulation. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 1331. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021331.
       
    • DNA-hypomethylating agent decitabine combined with captem chemotherapy induces reactivation of tumor suppressor genes via downregulation of dnmt1 expression in stc-1 neuroendocrine tumor cells, Poster, Moccia, Matthew
      3rd place winner at the Camden Scholars' Forum 2024, May 2, 2024
       
  • Zena Saleh, MD (General Surgery Resident)
    • Interplay Between Epigenetics And Immune Modulation In Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor (pnet):
      Abstract selected for a Quick Shot Presentation at the ACS Clinical Congress, October 19-22, 2024, San Francisco, CA.
       
    • Treatment Patterns For Pancreatic Cancer In Octogenarians: A National Cancer Database (NCDB) Study:
      Abstract selected for an in-person e-poster presentation at the ACS Clinical Congress, October 19-22, 2024, San Francisco, CA.
       
    • Zena Saleh, Matthew C. Moccia, Zachary Ladd, Upasana Joneja, Yahui Li, Francis Spitz, Young Ki Hong, and Tao Gao. Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Signaling Pathways and Epigenetic Regulation. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 1331. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021331.
       
  • Helen Toma, MD (GynOnc Fellow)
  • Zachary Ladd, MS (M2 Student)
    • Triamterene and Asinex 1 inhibit NRF2 expression in NRF2MUT esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Abstract selected by the SSAT Scientific Program Committee for a Quick Shot Lecture, Digestive Disease Week 2024, May 18-21, 2024, Washington, DC.
       
    • Zena Saleh, Matthew C. Moccia, Zachary Ladd, Upasana Joneja, Yahui Li, Francis Spitz, Young Ki Hong, and Tao Gao. Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: Signaling Pathways and Epigenetic Regulation. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2024, 25, 1331. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms25021331.
       
    • ​Marchuk H, Wang Y, Ladd ZA, Chen X, Zhang GF. Pathophysiological mechanisms of complications associated with propionic acidemia. Pharmacol Ther. 2023 Sep;249:108501.

July 2022 to June 2023

  • Olivia Coburn-Flynn, MD (General Surgery Resident)
    • Knapp K, Verchio V, Coburn-Flynn O, Li Y, Xiong Z, Morrison JC, Shersher DD, Spitz F, Chen X. Exploring cell competition for the prevention and therapy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Biochem Pharmacol. 2023 Aug;214:115639.
  • Kristen Knapp, MD (General Surgery Resident)
    • Shersher, David, Knapp, Kristen, Spitz, Francis, Lin, Andrew, Verchio, Vincent, Jupiter Andreis Antonelli, Zhang, Ping, Delong, Drew, Barroeta, Julieta, Chen, Xiaoxin, Zilberman, Brian. Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Prevent Anastomotic Leak: A Porcine Ischemic Esophagectomy Model. Journal of Surgical Research, JSURGRES-D-23-02183R3.
    • Knapp K, Verchio V, Coburn-Flynn O, Li Y, Xiong Z, Morrison JC, Shersher DD, Spitz F, Chen X. Exploring cell competition for the prevention and therapy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Biochem Pharmacol. 2023 Aug;214:115639.
  • Vincent Verchio, MD (General Surgery Resident)
    • Shersher, David, Knapp, Kristen, Spitz, Francis, Lin, Andrew, Verchio, Vincent, Jupiter Andreis Antonelli, Zhang, Ping, Delong, Drew, Barroeta, Julieta, Chen, Xiaoxin, Zilberman, Brian. Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Prevent Anastomotic Leak: A Porcine Ischemic Esophagectomy Model. Journal of Surgical Research, JSURGRES-D-23-02183R3.
    • Knapp K, Verchio V, Coburn-Flynn O, Li Y, Xiong Z, Morrison JC, Shersher DD, Spitz F, Chen X. Exploring cell competition for the prevention and therapy of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Biochem Pharmacol. 2023 Aug;214:115639.
  • Rebecca Kelly, MD (GynOnc fellow)
    • Kelly R, Aviles D, Krisulevicz C, Hunter K, Krill L, Warshal D, Ostrovsky O. The Effects of Natural Epigenetic Therapies in 3D Ovarian Cancer and Patient-Derived Tumor Explants: New Avenues in Regulating the Cancer Secretome. Biomolecules. 2023 Jul 1;13(7):1066.
  • Zachary Ladd, BS (M1 Student)
  • Arnold Rojas, BS (M1 Student)