Scientific & Medical Advisory Board
Dr. Haley Ellis
Massachusetts General Hospital
Harvard Medical School
Dr. Haley Ellis is a medical oncologist and clinician-scientist specializing in biliary cancers, including cholangiocarcinoma and gallbladder cancer, at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
She is deeply committed to improving outcomes for patients with biliary cancers through innovative research and clinical trials. In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Ellis conducts translational research in the laboratory of Dr. Nabeel Bardeesy, an international expert in biliary cancer biology. During her training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University College Dublin, and Washington University in St. Louis, she earned numerous accolades, including a prestigious clinician-scientist research scholarship.
Her research has been published in high-impact journals such as Nature, Cancer Cell, and Cancer Discovery. Dr. Ellis is also involved in patient advocacy and collaborates closely with biliary cancer-focused advocacy groups.
Dr. Jill Koshiol
National Cancer Institute
Dr. Jill Koshiol received her Ph.D. in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School in 2005 and subsequently joined the National Cancer Institute.
She is a Senior Investigator in the Infections and Immunoepidemiology Branch of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. Dr. Koshiol has focused her research program on biliary tract cancers, which are linked to both infections and inflammation. Biliary tract cancers are rare in much of the world, but there are hotspots where these cancers constitute a major public health burden. Because these cancers are rare in high-income countries, their epidemiology is poorly understood, even with respect to classic cancer risk factors. Inflammation is likely central to the carcinogenesis process.
By elucidating the epidemiology of biliary tract cancers, Dr. Koshiol hopes to identify new opportunities for cancer prevention and early detection that can be translated into public health impact, particularly in high-risk populations.
Dr. Shishir Maithel
Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center
Northwestern University,
Feinberg School of Medicine
Dr. Shishir Maithel is a Surgical Oncologist and currently serves as the Chief of Surgical Oncology and Chief Surgical Oncology Officer of the Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine.
He has initiated, organized, led, and served as the National Principal Investigator of ten multi-institutional research collaborations focused on the study of a wide array of diseases including gallbladder cancer and biliary tract malignancies. The US Extrahepatic Biliary Malignancy Consortium consisted of ten institutions across the country and facilitated investigating nuanced questions regarding gallbladder cancer. This process and model for collaborative research has been very productive and successful. The strength of these multi-institutional efforts afforded the platform and foundation for Dr. Maithel to seamlessly integrate into the national clinical trials network (NCTN) and cooperative group mechanism.
Over the past 10 years, he has rapidly ascended to leadership positions in the clinical trials network, serving as the Chair of the GI Surgery Working Group for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG-ACRIN), Co-Chair of the ECOG-ACRIN Surgery Committee, and a contributing member of the NCI Hepatobiliary Task Force. He is the Study Chair of an NCTN NCI-funded Randomized Controlled Phase II/III trial on the management of incidental gallbladder cancer (EA2197). Given his passion for mentorship and sponsorship, he used what he learned during the process of EA2197 to mentor and guide other Surgical Oncologists around the country in their own concept proposals. The success of his mentees has been applauded and has earned him the reputation as a national surgical mentor in conducting clinical trials, leading him to also serve as Co-Chair of four other NCI-funded randomized trials (EA7201, EA2192, EA2222, EA2234), as well as an industry-funded trial in cholangiocarcinoma.
Dr. Maithel has focused his research efforts to improve the care of patients with biliary tract malignancies, namely gallbladder cancer and cholangiocarcinoma.
Dr. Flavio Rocha
Oregon Health & Science University
Dr. Rocha is the Hedinger Professor and Chair of Surgical Oncology at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) in Portland, OR. He also serves as the Physician-in-Chief of the Knight Cancer Institute at OHSU.
He graduated with honors from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. After training in general surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School both in Boston, he completed both a surgical oncology and hepatopancreatobiliary surgery fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He spent ten years practicing in Seattle prior to moving to Oregon in 2021. Dr. Rocha’s clinical practice encompasses all aspects of benign and malignant disease of the liver, bile ducts and pancreas. He has been funded by the AAS, NIH/NIDDK, ASCO and the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation.
Dr. Rocha currently sits on the editorial boards of Surgery, HPB, Annals of Surgical Oncology, and Journal of Surgical Oncology. He has served on the NCI Pancreas Task Force, ASCO Gastrointestinal Cancers Advisory Council and ASTRO Liver Cancer Guidelines Committee. He is currently the surgical lead of the International Cholangiocarcinoma Research Network (ICRN), Vice-Chair of the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Surgery Committee, GI Surgery Working Group Chair at Eastern Cooperative Group (ECOG-ACRIN) and Chair of the Cancer Standards Development Committee at the American College of Surgeons.
International Members
Dr. Bruno Nervi
Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile
Bruno Nervi pursued his studies in Medical Oncology and Hematology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. He subsequently completed a fellowship in Oncology and Hematopoietic Transplantation at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis from 2003 to 2006.
Currently, Dr. Nervi serves as the Head of the Department of Hematology and Oncology and the Head of the Cancer Program at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, positions he has held since 2021. He is also the Director of the Center for Cancer Prevention and Control funded by the National Agency of Science and Technology of Chile. The Center aims to improve Chile’s response to the challenges of cancer by creating a nationwide research platform to identify best practices for cancer risk factor surveillance, prevention, early detection, and cancer care, thus generating high-quality evidence and providing policy proposals that add value to the population’s health and maximize the health system’s production in the most equitable manner.
Dr. Nervi has played a significant role in shaping cancer health policies in Chile. In 2018, he led the contribution of civil society to the Ministry of Health for the development of Chile’s first National Cancer Plan. In 2021, he became the first President of the National Cancer Commission, established under the Cancer Law to assist the Ministry of Health in implementing the National Cancer Plan. As President of Fundación Chilesincáncer, Dr. Nervi is committed to creating better opportunities for Chileans facing cancer and reducing inequities through public-private partnerships that promote education and the development of specialized human capital in oncology.
Dr. Nervi leads a research team focused on the interaction between gallbladder cancer and its microenvironment. His team established a multicenter gallbladder cancer registry and, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary group, works alongside the Ministry of Health to develop Chile’s first national treatment guidelines for gallbladder cancer.
Dr. Vikas Ostwal
Tata Memorial Center
India
Dr. Vikas Ostwal is an esteemed Medical Oncologist with over 16 years of experience in the field. Based in the city of Mumbai, he is currently employed at the prestigious Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai as a Professor and Medical Oncologist. He has been an honorary secretary of Indian chapter of the MASCC (IASCC) where he is spearheading the development of supportive care in cancer treatment to improve the cancer patients care in India.
He is a member of ASCO, ESMO, MASCC, IASCC, ICON, ISMPO, GIOS, ICRN, and many other prestigious organizations.
Over the years, Dr. Ostwal has gained significant expertise in treating patients with a wide range of gastrointestinal cancers, with a special focus on biliary tract cancers.
With extensive experience in the field, Dr. Ostwal has dedicated his career to advancing the understanding and treatment of various forms of cancer. Notably, he has made substantial contributions to several Phase II-IV clinical trials conducted in Hepatocellular cancer, Colorectal cancer, Biliary tract cancer and gastric cancer, earning him recognition within the scientific community. He has special interest in developing therapies to improve the survival rate in gall bladder and cholangiocarcinoma
Through his extensive research and collaborative efforts, he has acquired valuable insights into the management of these challenging cancers. Dr Ostwal has received funds from ICMR , intramural funds, and funding support from NGOs for the research. He has remained instrumental in receiving funds for not only his trials but many other projects at his institute. He has many awards to his name, like Adley awards, MASCC travel grant, etc.
In addition to his significant contributions to clinical trials, Dr. Ostwal has published in the reputed journals like JCO, JAMA oncology and network. He is actively working on many trials on targeted and immunotherapy drugs trials in gastrointestinal cancers. Widely recognized for his clinical contributions, Dr. Ostwal is highly respected in the medical community for his dedication to providing exceptional medical care to his patients.