Why do many GI Fox Chase Fellow and Residents stay at Fox Chase after training? Hear what a few say about starting and staying here because of the exceptional clinical, research, and leadership opportunities.

Choosing many directions.

Efrat Dotan, MD
Fox Chase Fellow & Chief Fellow – Hematology-Oncology
Director of Clinical and Translational Research, GI Service Line

I always wanted to train in a top academic cancer center where everyone would be as intensely interested in the trials and triumphs of cancer research and clinical care as I was. Fox Chase was a natural fit.

During my Fellowship, I worked side-by-side with world-renowned clinical investigators who lit up my imagination about career possibilities—from bench scientist to educator, administrator to clinician— or a combination of them all.

After my Fellowship, Fox Chase offered me an amazing opportunity to develop a geriatric oncology program and concurrently earn a Master's in Translational Research. I bring this experience to my role as the Director of Clinical and Translational Research for the GI Service Line. However, the program's real strength lies in the collaboration between my clinical partner, Dr. Sanjay Reddy, and Anush Sridharan, PhD, the GI Service Line Manager of Clinical & Translational Research Line.

 

Everything led me to Fox Chase.

Sanjay Reddy, MD, FACS
Fox Chase Fellow and Chief Administrative Fellow – Surgical Oncology
Clinical Director, GI Service Line
Co-director, Fox Chase and the Marvin and Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute
Program Director, Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship

I caught the bug for complex cancer surgery from my father, a well-known pancreatic cancer surgeon in New York City. Growing up, I was fascinated with his work, and although he tried to dissuade me from the field because of the enormous personal toll it can take, I persisted even more.

I completed my residency under my father’s direction at the same hospital where my mother, an anesthesiologist, also practiced. When considering Fellowship, one of my mentors, who happened to be close friends with Dr. John Hoffman, insisted the only place I should go -- if I wanted world-class academic and clinical training in pancreatic cancer surgery -- was Fox Chase.

My fellowship under Dr. John Hoffman shaped me into the GI surgeon I am today. He was a thought-leader in medicine and life. Back then, Dr. Hoffman developed the fundamental principles of using  chemotherapy and/or radiation before performing pancreatic cancer surgery—a radical notion that now has become the standard of care in many instances.

As Clinical Director of the GI Service Line, I work in tandem with Dr. Dotan, its Director of Translational Research, and merge scientific discovery with unmet clinical needs. Together with co-directors Igor Astsaturov, MD, PhD, and Edna “Eti” Cukierman, PhD, the Marvin and Concetta Greenberg Pancreatic Cancer Institute continues to build and grow our presence as a clinical and translational presence in the region.

In our Fall 2023 Newsletter, discover why Dr. Matthew Zibelman and Dr. Mark Hallman stayed here after training and became the new GU service line leaders.