Dr. Brian Badgwell
Professor of Surgery
Section Chief – Gastric, Peritoneal, & Acute Care Surgical Oncology
Hamill Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Honor of Dr. Richard G. Martin
Department of Surgical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Dr. Badgwell has a cancer-directed practice in gastric and gastroesophageal cancer at MD Anderson that incorporates recent progress in minimally invasive surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy.
Dr. Badgwell was the principal investigator for the first 3 completed clinical trials of hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for metastatic gastric cancer in the United States, and is currently the PI for ongoing trials of intraperitoneal paclitaxel and short course neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.
Dr. Badgwell has established a palliative surgery research program dedicated to improving the quality of life for patients with symptoms due to advanced cancer and, with funding through the American Cancer Society, has developed the first validated symptom assessment questionnaire for patients with malignant bowel obstruction.
Dr. Kelsey Lau-Min
Assistant in Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital
Instructor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Lau-Min is a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center, a member of the MGH Cancer Outcomes Research and Education Program, and an Instructor in Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Her research focuses on developing and testing novel interventions to improve care delivery and outcomes for patients with gastrointestinal cancers and spans multiple areas:
1) supporting patients with gastrointestinal cancers by enhancing their cancer care experience;
2) promoting the use of precision oncology to identify patients who may benefit from chemotherapy-sparing approaches; and
3) conducting health services research related to cancer care delivery and healthcare spending.
She received her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine and Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She trained in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital and subsequently completed her hematology/oncology fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dr. Mitchell C. Posner
Chief, Section of General Surgery
Physician-in-Chief, Comprehensive Cancer Center
Chief, Surgical Oncology
The University of Chicago Medicine
Dr. Mitchell C. Posner’s principle clinical and research interests are focused on the management of upper gastrointestinal cancer, the molecular and genetic basis of gastrointestinal malignancy and oligometastases. The author of more than 250 original articles, published abstracts and book chapters, he has received numerous awards for his investigative efforts and teaching. He served as Chair of the Gastrointestinal Committee of the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group (ACOSOG), the only national surgically focused cooperative group dedicated to clinical trials research.
Dr. Posner serves on the Editorial Board of the Annals of Surgery, Surgery, The Journal of the American College of Surgeons and the American Journal of Surgery. He is Deputy Editor of the Annals of Surgical Oncology. He is Section Editor of Gastrointestinal Diseases for the American Cancer Society journal 'Cancer'. He is a member of many national surgical and oncology organizations including the Society of University Surgeons and the American Surgical Association.
In 2002, Dr. Posner was appointed as Professor of Surgery and Cancer Research at the University of Chicago.
In 2004, Dr. Posner was named Chief of the Section of General Surgery, Director of the Surgical Residency Program and Vice-Chairman in the Department of Surgery at the University of Chicago.
In 2007 he was awarded the Thomas D. Jones Professorship.
In 2012 he was appointed Professor of Radiation and Cellular Oncology.
In 2015 he was named Physician-in-Chief of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center and in 2020 was appointed as Co-Director of the UCMC Cancer Service line.
Dr. Elizabeth Smyth
Consultant in Gastrointestinal Oncology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
Elizabeth (Lizzy) Smyth is a consultant in gastrointestinal oncology based in Oxford, UK. Dr Smyth commenced her oncology training in Dublin, Ireland. In 2009 she was awarded an Irish Society of Medical Oncology fellowship to train at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Centre, New York.
She has been based in the UK since 2011 where she is a founder member of the UK & Ireland Oesophagogastric Group (UKIOG). Dr Smyth's research focus is on clinical trials and translational research in gastroesophageal cancer and she has worked on trial design and management of national and international trials.
She is a member of the European Society of Medical Oncology Faculty GI educational faculty and leads the EORTC GI Trials Group Gastric Cancer Taskforce. Dr Smyth is committed to furthering national and international collaboration in GI trials research.
Prof. Nirav Thosani
Professor, Department of Surgery
Director, Center for Interventional Gastroenterology at UTHealth (iGUT)
Atilla Ertan MD Endowed Chair in Gastroenterology
McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, Houston, Texas
Chair, ASGE Standards of Practice Committee
Prof. Nirav Thosani earned his medical degree from N.H.L. Municipal Medical College in Ahmedabad, India. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in gastroenterology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth in Houston, followed by an advanced fellowship in therapeutic endoscopy at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, California.
Board certified in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, Prof. Thosani’s clinical interests include pancreatitis, pancreatic cysts, pancreatic cancer, gallstones, bile duct diseases, colon polyps, colon cancer, endoscopic ultrasound, ERCP (endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography), colonoscopy, swallowing disorder, GERD, Barrett’s esophagus, endoscopic ablation therapy, and endoscopic anti-reflux therapy.
Prof. Thosani has published over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts. He has been an active member of American Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) Standards of Practice Committee and have been involved in drafting multiple guidelines in field of gastrointestinal endoscopy.