Dr. Alexander Pohlman is a general surgery resident at the University of Illinois Chicago, who recently completed two years of dedicated research in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery at Loyola University Chicago. He has a strong interest in thoracic oncology and plans to pursue a cardiothoracic surgery fellowship following completion of his general surgery training. Dr. Pohlman’s early involvement in cancer research began as a college student in the Department of Medical Oncology at Rush University, where he contributed to a lung cancer screening program. During medical school, he further developed his interest in thoracic surgery through both clinical and research experiences within Rush’s Thoracic Surgery Department, ultimately authoring multiple clinical and basic science publications. His current research focuses on clinical and translational applications in thoracic oncology for the surgical management of malignancies of the lung, trachea, thymus, chest wall, and esophagus. Dr. Pohlman aims to build a career as a surgeon-scientist with a focus on improving outcomes for patients with thoracic malignancies.