Exciting Recruitments Announced in Cancer Care and Research
LSU Health and the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center have recruited three nationally-renowned faculty in cancer research and cancer care. This will add to LSU Health’s already impressive list of researchers and clinicians, and will help the State of Louisiana in its quest to acquire NCI-designated status for cancer care.
“One in three people will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime,” said Dean Steve Nelson, MD. “These three new additions to the faculty are going to bring us even closer to unlocking the secrets of cancer and position us to bring new treatments and better access to cancer care for our patients.”
Dr. Nelson added that LSU Health is fighting cancer on two fronts: in the lab and at patients’ bedsides.
John H. Stewart, IV, MD, MBA, will be the first LSU Health/LCMC Health Cancer Center Director. He originally hails from Shreveport and received his bachelor’s from Louisiana Tech before attending Howard University College of Medicine. In addition to a surgery residency, he has completed two NIH Fellowships in Surgical Oncology and Tumor Immunotherapy. Dr. Stewart served on the faculty at Wake Forest and at Duke before being recruited to University of Illinois College of Medicine where he is Professor of Surgery, Presidential Scholar and Physician Executive of Oncology Services. In addition to his research in tumor immunotherapy, he has a strong interest in improving access and reducing inequities in cancer care.
A joint recruit with LCMC Health, Dr. Stewart will work with clinicians and administrators at UMCNO, Children’s Hospital, and throughout the LCMC Health System to expand cancer care and clinical research. He will also work strategically with population researchers to improve cancer outcomes and eliminate disparities in cancer care.
“Dr. Stewart has experience working in NCI Cancer Centers and is an accomplished clinician, researcher and administrator,” said Dean Nelson. “His interest in health equity aligns with our vision for a Cancer Center in Louisiana. Additionally, given that he is from Louisiana, Dr. Stewart is personally invested in improving access and quality for the citizens of the State.”
Two cancer research scientists will join the new Department of Interdisciplinary Oncology (DIO) and the Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center. Charles Wood, PhD, and John T. West, PhD, will bring long track records of research success and tens of millions of dollars in funded research in the area of viral oncology. They will complement the DIO’s current research program in viral oncology. Both will also work with faculty in the Departments of Microbiology/Immunology and Genetics and the School of Public Health.
Both Drs. Wood and West come to LSUHSC from the Nebraska Center for Virology at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, founded and led by Dr. Wood.
“We are excited to have such a successful team of investigators with international research programs join LSU Health. Cancers associated with viruses such as cervical, head and neck, Kaposi sarcoma and Merkel Cell Carcinoma, are an important cause of disease worldwide and in our state,” said Augusto Ochoa, MD, Director of the LSU Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center. “Therefore, having experienced investigators that help advance our understanding of these diseases will help develop new ways to prevent, treat and cure patients with these diseases.”
Dr. Wood is the current Lewis Lehr/3M University Distinguished Professor and Director of the Nebraska Center for Virology. He has been instrumental in advancing the quality, diversity, and growth of research at UNL by strongly connecting to academic programs and engaging regional, national and international partners. In addition to serving as the Director of the research center, he was also the principal investigator and Co-PI of several multi-center and multi-national collaborative projects, including serving as PI of a Fogarty International training program on HIV, and a virology training program.
Dr. West’s experience has focused on retroviral and herpetic pathogen infection, immune dysregulation, and neoplastic growth, as well as interests in various aspects of virology including viral evolution, vaccine design, regulation of RNA processing and translation, and viral pathogenesis.
All three are expected to start in the summer and fall of 2021.