Our Fellows and Residents are among the most accomplished clinicians and researchers in the US and around the world—mentored by renowned physicians who encourage them to work on the front lines of cancer science and discovery. Here are a few of their stories.
A Milieu Where Great Ideas are Born
Mark A. Hallman, MD, PhD
Mark Hallman, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology
Fox Chase Resident - Radiation Oncology - 2014
Clinical Director, GU Service Line
“The intersection of medicine and clinical research fascinates me,” says Mark Hallman, MD, PhD, Clinical Director, GU Service Line. “The collaboration at Fox Chase is unmatched, and I believe that fosters the strong design of clinical trials of novel multimodality treatments. It reflects the way we practice oncology care as a team. It is especially exciting to see how that collaboration plays out with a modality such as radiation therapy. Our improving radiation technologies can limit toxicity risks and therapy's potential benefit, which is so powerful.”
I enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program, where I earned my MD and a PhD focusing on Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics. After residency training at Fox Chase, I was recruited here as a department faculty member and have specialized in treating genitourinary cancers.
Together with Dr. Matthew Zibelman, Director of Clinical and Translational Research for the GU Service Line, and our colleagues, we continually seek therapies that allow us to administer radiation at the highest possible therapeutic doses at the safest levels.
Currently, I am the local PI for a clinical trial that aims to treat early-stage prostate cancer using adaptive radiation therapy to minimize side effects. Adaptive radiation is a revolutionary technology that allows for real-time, daily adjustments of the radiation plan. We are also developing novel approaches to expand this new technology to patients with a higher risk of disease. It has the potential to be a game-changer for men with prostate cancer.”
Collaboration Speeds Innovation
Matthew R. Zibelman, MD
Matthew Zibelman, MD
Associate Professor, Department of Hematology/Oncology
Fox Chase Fellow - Hematology-Oncology 2012-2015
Director of Clinical and Translational Research, GU Service Line
“As a Fox Chase trainee working under the direction of several outstanding clinical researchers, including Dr. Elizabeth Plimack, I learned first-hand the best practices for planning, designing, and conducting clinical trials. At the time, immunotherapy was emerging as a new treatment modality, and thanks to mentors who encouraged innovative thinking, I developed an idea for an immunotherapy trial and proposed it to a pharmaceutical company.
During my third Fellowship year, the company decided to support the trial concept and agreed to provide funding for me and others to write and conduct the trial. My Fox Chase career began right there.
I consider myself an equal parts clinical research scientist and cancer clinician, deeply invested in both venues. As Director of Clinical and Translational Research of the GU Service Line, I partner with Dr. Mark Hallman, Clinical Director of the GU Service Line, to seamlessly integrate scientific exploration for bladder, kidney, and prostate cancer with the clinical reality of these diseases—work that helps us prioritize translational projects and clinical trials, all crucial for better patient outcomes.”