Source Newsroom: Seattle Cancer Care Alliance Proton Therapy, A ProCure Center
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.