Nationally recognized radiation oncologists join SCCA Proton Therapy
Newswise — SEATTLE, WA – Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy, A ProCure Center, has recruited two expert radiation oncologists from the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Ramesh Rengan joins SCCA Proton Therapy as the new associate medical director and Dr. Smith “Jim” Apisarnthanarax as a practicing radiation oncologist. Both physicians will also join the University of Washington School of Medicine as Associate Professors.
“Our center is dedicated to recruiting the nation’s top talent in radiation oncology,” stated Annika Andrews, president of SCCA Proton Therapy, A Procure Center. “Dr. Rengan and Dr. Apisarnthanarax bring extraordinary leadership and expertise to our center. Their prestigious backgrounds, research interests and passion for patient care make them an ideal addition to our growing expert medical staff.”
Dr. Rengan is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in radiation treatment for lung cancer and melanoma patients at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. Dr. Rengan was previously the Chief of Thoracic Service and Assistant Director of Clinical Operations for the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania. He completed his residency in radiation oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and earned his medical degree (MD) and doctorate (PhD) from University of Michigan Medical School and Rackham School of Graduate Studies in biological chemistry.
Dr. Rengan’s areas of research involve the development of clinical and translational (bench-to-bedside) initiatives designed to improve clinical outcomes in lung cancer and melanoma patients. His research interests also include understanding the biology of lung cancer tumors in order to make radiation treatment more effective. Dr. Rengan is also interested in investigating proton beam radiotherapy as a tool to optimize the treatment of a number of solid tumors, including lung cancer. He is the co-chair of the IHE-RO Planning Committee for the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ASTRO) and the translational co-chair of the ASTRO Annual Spring Refresher Course. “We are very excited to have both Dr. Rengan and Dr. Apisarnthanarax join our team to help further advance and refine the use of proton therapy,” said Norm Hubbard, executive vice president of SCCA. “Both physicians have impressive experience treating patients with proton therapy and will be great additions to our recently opened center.”
Dr. Apisarnthanarax is a board-certified radiation oncologist who specializes in treating gastrointestinal cancers at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, including liver, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, rectal, and anal cancers. Dr. Apisarnthanarax was previously the Associate Residency Program Director and Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his residency in radiation oncology at University of North Carolina and earned his medical degree from Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School. He has also completed a research fellowship in experimental radiation oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Dr. Apisarnthanarax’s research interests include optimizing the treatment of liver cancers, integrating proton beam radiation therapy into the multidisciplinary care of cancer, and using novel functional imaging to personalize cancer care by decreasing normal tissue toxicity and assessing cancer treatment response. He was recently recognized as Educator of the Year by the Association of Residents in Radiation Oncology (ARRO) for his work at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.
For more information about proton therapy, visit www.sccaprotontherapy.com or follow SCCA Proton Therapy on Twitter @SCCAProtons.
About Seattle Cancer Care AllianceSeattle Cancer Care Alliance is a cancer treatment center that unites doctors from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine and Seattle Children’s. Our goal, every day, is to turn cancer patients into cancer survivors. Our purpose is to lead the world in the prevention and treatment of cancer. SCCA has five clinical care sites: an outpatient clinic on the Hutchinson Center campus, a pediatric inpatient unit at Seattle Children’s, an adult inpatient unit at UW Medical Center, a medical oncology clinic at Halvorson Cancer Care, and a radiation oncology clinic at UW Medicine / Northwest Hospital. Additionally, proton therapy services are provided at SCCA Proton Therapy, A Procure Center. For more information about SCCA, visit www.seattlecca.org.
About ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc.ProCure Treatment Centers, Inc. is a privately held healthcare company dedicated to improving the lives of patients with cancer by increasing access to proton therapy. The company was founded in 2005 in Bloomington, Ind., and is the first to develop a network of proton therapy centers in cities across the United States. The ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Oklahoma City opened in July 2009, the CDH Proton Center, A ProCure Center, located in Warrenville, Ill., opened in October 2010, the ProCure Proton Therapy Center in Somerset, N.J., opened in March 2012, and SCCA Proton Therapy, A ProCure Center, located in Seattle, Wash. opened in March 2013. ProCure provides management leadership and a comprehensive approach for the design, construction, financing, staffing, training and day-to-day operations of proton therapy centers. ProCure’s solution reduces the time, cost and effort necessary to build and operate a facility. ProCure is advancing proton therapy through innovation and improvements in technology, and by providing training at the world’s only educational facility specializing in proton therapy. For more information, visit www.procure.com/seattle.
Media Contact:Stephany RochonNyhus Communications for SCCA Proton Therapy Phone: (206) 323-3733E-mail: [email protected]
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