Dr. Valerie Rusch New York, New York

Professional Highlights

Dr. Valerie Rusch has gained international recognition for her work in surgically treating mesothelioma, lung cancer and cancer of the thorax, esophagus and chest wall. Dr. Rusch currently serves as Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. She is also the Vice Chair for Clinical Research in the Department of Surgery and she holds the prestigious William G. Cahan Chair.

Valerie W. Rusch, M.D. is a surgeon and researcher who dedicates her career to thoracic surgical oncology and clinical research. She has worked extensively through a number of NCI Cooperative Groups and has participated on numerous Review Committees, Evaluation Panels, Subcommittees and Professional Societies to pioneer efforts to understand how patients will respond to different mesothelioma treatment modalities and to identify ways to be able to diagnose mesothelioma and other thoracic cancers at earlier stages (stage 1 and stage 2).

Educational Background and Professional Appointments

Dr. Rusch received her medical degree from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed residencies in both general and cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Washington and from 1982-1983 she served as a Faculty Associate at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Prior to moving to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 1989, Dr. Valerie Rusch completed a six year faculty assignment at the University of Washington.

Dr. Robert N. Taub New York, New York

Professional Highlights

Dr. Robert Taub is a medical oncologist and hematologist at Columbia Medical Center specializing in the diagnosis and clinical care of patients with malignant mesothelioma. Dr. Taub serves as director of Columbia's Mesothelioma Center, where he is developing combined chemotherapeutic and surgical techniques that are highly effective in combating mesothelioma, a terminal malignancy.

Dr. Taub is exploring clinical trials involving multimodal treatment algorithms with a specialization in intracavitary chemotherapy for patients diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma and lung-preserving therapies for pleural mesothelioma. Dr. Taub works closely with the Columbia Comprehensive Cancer Center’s team of oncologists and the Department of thoracic oncology.

Dr. Taub’s extensive experience has led him to impress upon patients that even though one particular treatment regimen may not result in efficacy for a particular patient, there are others available, including experimental therapies.

Dr. Harvey Pass New York, New York

Overview

Dr. Harvey Pass is a renowned thoracic surgeon that has dedicated his career to bringing increased awareness of the dangers of asbestos exposure and its causal relationship to pleural mesothelioma to both the medical community and the public at large. One of his most important research findings occurred while at the Karmanos Cancer Center from 1996-2005. While there, Dr. Harvey Pass and his colleagues completed a key study through which they identified a protein called osteopontin that presents at elevated levels in patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma. This important medical discovery now allows doctors to use a simple blood test to screen individuals with a history of asbestos exposure to help diagnose pleural mesotheliomas in earlier stages (stage 1 and stage 2) where they can be treated more successfully.

Educational Background

Dr. Harvey Pass completed undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and received his medical degree from Duke Medical School. He completed residency training at Duke University Medical School, University of Mississippi Medical Center and Medical University of South Carolina.

Dr. David Sugarbaker Boston, Massachusetts

Dr. David Sugarbaker is a world-renowned doctor and certified thoracic surgeon widely credited for developing the first tri-modal treatment approach for malignant pleural mesothelioma. His current leadership appointments include Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Chief of Surgical Services at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Executive Vice-Chair of Department of Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School.

Educational Background

Dr. Sugarbaker completed his undergraduate degree at Wheaton College in Illinois and received his MD from Cornell University Medical College in 1979. In addition, he completed residencies at several prestigious hospitals including Peter Bent Brigham Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Hospital for Sick Children at the University of Toronto.

Clinical and Laboratory Research

Dr. Sugarbaker is considered to be one of the world's leading experts in the diagnosis and treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma. The majority of Dr. Sugarbaker's clinical and laboratory research has centered on the development of what has been termed a "tri-modal" therapeutic approach to the treatment of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma. This three-pronged method uses a combination of radical surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy to treat patients diagnosed with the disease. Specifically, Sugarbaker’s highly-regarded treatment for mesothelioma patients includes: