My research program focuses on advancing the treatment of hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and foregut malignancies through three interconnected themes: (1) developing and optimizing ablative technologies such as irreversible electroporation (IRE); (2) improving combination strategies that pair local ablation with systemic immunotherapy; and (3) elucidating the molecular, immunologic, and epigenetic mechanisms that drive aggressive and treatment-resistant cancers. I oversee a multidisciplinary team—including three full-time research nurse coordinators and collaborators in immunology, tumor biology, and drug delivery—who support participant recruitment, data quality, safety monitoring, experimental execution, and dissemination of results.
My scientific contributions span more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, advancing knowledge of liver, pancreatic, esophageal, gastric, colorectal cancers, bile duct tumors, sarcoma, and melanoma. Early in my career, I demonstrated the importance of timely diagnosis and systematic management in foregut malignancies. My basic science efforts have emphasized epigenetic drivers of pancreatic cancer progression and the mechanisms by which ablative therapy modulates anti-tumor immunity. Recent studies from my group show that epigenetic modulation can significantly enhance the efficacy of immunotherapeutic strategies in pancreatic cancer, while intratumoral immunotherapy paired with ablation can produce robust systemic responses.
My research program focuses on advancing the treatment of hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and foregut malignancies through three interconnected themes: (1) developing and optimizing ablative technologies such as irreversible electroporation (IRE); (2) improving combination strategies that pair local ablation with systemic immunotherapy; and (3) elucidating the molecular, immunologic, and epigenetic mechanisms that drive aggressive and treatment-resistant cancers. I oversee a multidisciplinary team—including three full-time research nurse coordinators and collaborators in immunology, tumor biology, and drug delivery—who support participant recruitment, data quality, safety monitoring, experimental execution, and dissemination of results.
My scientific contributions span more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, advancing knowledge of liver, pancreatic, esophageal, gastric, colorectal cancers, bile duct tumors, sarcoma, and melanoma. Early in my career, I demonstrated the importance of timely diagnosis and systematic management in foregut malignancies. My basic science efforts have emphasized epigenetic drivers of pancreatic cancer progression and the mechanisms by which ablative therapy modulates anti-tumor immunity. Recent studies from my group show that epigenetic modulation can significantly enhance the efficacy of immunotherapeutic strategies in pancreatic cancer, while intratumoral immunotherapy paired with ablation can produce robust systemic responses.