2021
William H. Smith, MD
William received his bachelor's degree in mathematics from the University of Richmond where he conducted NSF funded research on cryptanalysis of widely used encryption systems. He obtained his MD from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discovering an interest in radiation oncology through research on the management of head and neck cancers and prognostic indicators in sarcomas. After completing his internship at Greenwich Hospital, he returned to Mount Sinai for residency, where he has developed clinical interests in head and neck, GI, and prostate cancers. His research has focused on the combined effects of immunotherapy and radiation in hepatocellular carcinoma and on the economic implications of avoidable hospitalizations among prostate cancer patients. Away from the clinic, he enjoys trail running, hiking with his dog, and spending time with his wife and new baby.
Deborah Marshall, MD
After graduating from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Comparative Ethnic Studies and working in immigration law, Deborah pursued her medical training, Master's degree in clinical research, and TL1 research fellowship at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. She then completed her transitional year internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. As a T32 Research Fellow and Holman Pathway resident at Mount Sinai, she now leads a multidisciplinary team studying female sexual toxicity after pelvic radiotherapy supported by grants from the Patty Brisben Foundation, NRG Oncology, and a Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Award. Her clinical and translational scientific research focuses on achieving more equitable health outcomes through evidence-based strategies to reduce treatment-related toxicity and improve quality of life in priority cancer populations, including women and persons with HIV. Her social scientific research focuses on financial conflicts of interest in medicine and health policy. She is the recipient of several honors including the AANS Leksell Radiosurgery Award, two Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Merit Awards, the UCSD Marvell Award in Radiation Oncology, the UCSD Glasgow-Rubin Citation for Academic Achievement, and was recently elected to the Mount Sinai AOA.
Jalal Ahmed Khan, MD, PhD
Jalal majored in Biomedical Engineering at Columbia University and then completed the MD/PhD program at Mount Sinai. His doctoral work defined the hematopoietic stem cell niche in the fetal liver and the mechanisms driving the expansion and migration of these potent cells (Ahmed Khan et al, Science 2016). After completing his internship in internal medicine at North Shore-Long Island Jewish medical center, he returned to Mount Sinai where he is a Holman Research Pathway Resident in radiation oncology and is pursuing a career as a physician-scientist. He has a longstanding interest in cell-based therapies and is currently researching novel strategies to advance CAR T cell therapy for solid tumors with Drs. Miriam Merad and Michel Sadelain. He received the 2019 ASCO Young Investigator Award, the Lung Cancer Research Foundation Scientific Award, Varian Medical Systems FLASH Forward Consortium grant, 2014 ISEH New Investigator Student Award, F30 Predoctoral award, and the 2016 Student Speaker Award from the Osler Society.
2022
Anthony Nehlsen, MD
Anthony was born in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in New Jersey. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Biology from Penn State University, where he was a member of the executive board of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He then spent one year working full time as an EMT in Parsippany, New Jersey. He obtained his MD at Drexel University College of Medicine, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and the Pathology Honor Society. He was also the recipient of the Kurt Paucker Student Achievement Award in Microbiology and completed a Summer Research Fellowship in neuroscience. He completed his transitional year internship at Crozer-Chester Medical Center. Anthony has presented his radiation oncology research at national meetings, including ASTRO, and been published in journals such as Advances in Radiation Oncology. In his free time, he enjoys weight lifting, cooking, and watching (and being disappointed by) his New York sports teams.
Kunal Sindhu, MD
Kunal was born in Syracuse, New York, and grew up in California. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, and subsequently worked as a middle school science teacher in Newark, New Jersey, and as a management consultant in New York City. He then obtained his MD from the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, the Gold Humanism Honor Society, and Sigma Xi. He completed his internship in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, where he was named the Preliminary Intern of the Year. Dr. Sindhu is a writer and has authored over 25 journal articles. His work has been featured in JAMA, JAMA Oncology, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and Academic Medicine. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, reading, and running.
Jared Rowley, MD
Jared grew up in Ithaca, New York. He moved to Montreal for university where he received a bachelor's degree in Economics and Computer Science from McGill University. He then worked at the Translational Neuroimaging Laboratory in Montreal. His responsibilities included writing pipelines that automated the analysis of MRI and PET scans. He completed a Masters in Neuroscience from McGill University in 2013 and subsequently moved to Brooklyn. In 2017, he graduated from SUNY Downstate Medical School. He completed his intern year in internal medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel. His research interests include labor and health economics. In his free time Jared enjoys playing soccer, biking and downhill skiing.
Andrew Smith, MD
Andrew grew up near Albany, NY and received his undergraduate degree in History from Dartmouth College. He attended the University of Rochester School of Medicine, where he graduated with distinction in clinical research for evaluating the use of brachytherapy in the treatment of brain metastases at New York Presbyterian Weill-Cornell. He completed his internship at Lenox Hill Hospital before joining the Radiation Oncology Program at Mount Sinai. During residency, he has developed an investigator-initiated clinical trial adding a selective dopamine antagonist to standard chemoradiotherapy in the treatment of glioblastoma. His research has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Neurosurgery, Journal of Neuro-Oncology, and Seminars in Radiation Oncology. Outside of medicine, he enjoys hiking, cooking, and being a Boston sports fan in NYC.
2023
Brianna Jones, MD
Brianna was born in New York City and grew up in Lehigh Valley, PA. She received her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh and was extensively involved in translational neuroscience research and functional neuroimaging in pediatric psychiatric populations. She then completed her medical education at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. During medical school, Brianna completed research on oncologic outcomes in head and neck malignancies, and has been invited to present her research at several national conferences. She was elected as student chapter president of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society and received the Clinical Scholar award for achievement and excellence in patient care during her third year of medical school. She completed her internship at Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center in Denver, Colorado and was involved in research related to toxicity with accelerated partial breast irradiation. At Mount Sinai, she has developed both clinical and research interests in head and neck, brain, and gynecologic cancers, as well as health care disparities in oncology. In her free time she loves hiking, trail running, skiing, and cooking.
Eric Lehrer, MD
Eric was born and raised in New York City. He received his undergraduate education at the City University of New York, where he majored in Mathematics and Economics. He worked for several years as a statistician in the energy management industry before changing careers and attending medical school. He received his medical education at Eastern Virginia Medical School, where he served as the President of his class and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society as a third year medical student. During medical school he conducted NIH-funded research on the roles of the STAT-4 and Twist-1 transcription factors in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes and vascular endothelial cell dysfunction. He completed his Transitional Year Internship at Mather Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY. Eric is a dedicated researcher and has been invited to present his work nationally and internationally. He has authored over 50 journal articles, book chapters, and oral presentations. His work has been featured in journals, such as The International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, Radiotherapy and Oncology, Academic Medicine, and Cancer. In 2020, he was awarded the Members in Training Research Award from the Radiosurgery Society for his analysis of brainstem dose tolerances in single fraction stereotactic radiosurgery. He aspires to be a career academician and clinical trialist. In his free time, he enjoys playing the piano, cooking, and traveling.
2024
Julie Bloom, MD
Julie grew up in the Greater Chicago area. She received her undergraduate degree from Northwestern University where she studied Neuroscience and Environmental Policy, graduating cum laude. Julie subsequently attended Rush Medical School, and developed an interest in radiation oncology and interdisciplinary oncology care. In medical school, she was awarded the J. Zukowski Endowed Scholarship and Summer Research Fellowship to study expectation-actuality outcomes in relation to patient satisfaction for patients undergoing neurosurgery procedures. She pursued translational research looking at predictive biomarkers in non-small cell lung cancer, explored stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) dose-related toxicities in oligometastatic disease, and presented these outcomes at national conferences. She is passionate about exploring palliative radiation oncology, communication skills in oncology, and the evolving use of SBRT for primary and oligometastatic lung disease. Outside of the hospital, you might find her hiking in the Catskills, picnicking in Central Park or volunteering at NYC’s local bee hives.
Alexandra Hotca‐Cho, MD
Alex grew up in Romania before moving to France for high school. Later, she moved to New York, where she received her bachelor degree in Biology from CUNY Hunter College. During this time, she worked on developing novel techniques for bone image processing for high resolution MR research and presented her work at international conferences. She then completed her medical education at Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia and conducted research on heart toxicity following radiation therapy in non-small cell lung cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. She returned to New York to complete her internship in internal medicine at Lenox Hill Hospital before joining Mount Sinai's Radiology Oncology program. Outside of medicine, she enjoys running marathons, traveling the world, and eating good food in NYC.
Carlos Rodriguez‐Russo, MD
Carlos was born in Boulder, Colorado, and grew up in Centerville, Massachusetts. He received his bachelor’s degree in Developmental and Regenerative Biology from Harvard University and his medical degree from the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. In medical school, he was inducted into the Gold Humanism Honor Society and was the recipient of the inaugural Bray Fellowship in Medical Humanities for his research in reflective writing in medical education. He was additionally awarded the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society's Carolyn Kuckein Research Fellowship for his work assessing the impact of home and community-based services for individuals with HIV. While completing his internal medicine internship at George Washington University Hospital in D.C., he created a new elective in radiation oncology for resident physicians and completed treatment outcomes research for adenoid cystic carcinoma. His poetry has been featured in JAMA Oncology, The Annals of Internal Medicine, and Plexus Literary Review. At Mount Sinai, his research interests include exploring the scope of palliative care within radiation oncology, improving radiotherapy for rare cancers, and widening access to radiation oncology services for underserved communities. His spare time is spent playing piano, cooking new recipes with his wife, and planning day trips to local hiking spots.