Andreana Holowatyj, PhD, MSCI, assistant professor of Medicine, has been named to the 40 Under 40 In Cancer Class of 2025 by the Association for Value-Based Cancer Care.
This year’s class was selected from more than 3,000 nominations. The awards initiative identifies and recognizes contributions across the field of cancer by rising stars and emerging leaders under the age of 40.
Holowatyj’s research is focused on early-onset cancers, including colorectal and appendiceal cancers. She has received the National Cancer Institute’s Method to Extend Research in Time (MERIT) Award to support her ongoing investigation into how early-onset colorectal cancer and its treatments impact reproductive health. MERIT Awards provide longer-term funding than is typical for most grants to early-stage investigators whose research competence and productivity are distinctly superior and who are highly likely to continue to perform in an outstanding manner. As part of this Award, Holowatyj established and leads the Preserving Fertility After Colorectal Cancer (PREFACE) clinical study, which is currently recruiting patients.
She is focused on providing evidence-based guidance that will ultimately improve clinical care and outcomes for individuals ages 18 to 49 when diagnosed with cancer. Holowatyj and her team discovered that 1 in 2 young cancer patients report that a health care provider involved in their cancer care did not discuss options to preserve fertility prior to starting cancer treatment.
Her research has been published in high-impact medical research journals and has led to clinical practice changes and revisions to consensus guidelines. She has also been invited to serve on several international committees, including the American Joint Committee on Cancer Lower Gastrointestinal Tract Expert Panel that updates clinical cancer staging systems, the Fight Colorectal Cancer Global Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer Think Tank, and as the inaugural chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for the Appendix Cancer Pseudomyxoma Peritonei (ACPMP) Research Foundation. This year, with the support of the ACPMP Research Foundation, she led an expert recommendation report in the journal Nature Reviews Cancer that identified six key research priority areas to deliver a fundamental understanding of appendiceal tumors and to improve treatments and outcomes for patients with this rare cancer.
Navigational bronchoscopy is as effective as the traditionally used transthoracic needle biopsy for diagnosing lung nodules, but with significantly fewer complications, per a new study published May 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine. This development may shift medical practice and reduce hospitalizations for patients undergoing lung nodule biopsies, said researchers.
Each year, millions of lung nodules are detected during routine X-rays or CT scans. While most nodules are benign, some are cancerous and when found at this stage they are the earliest and most curable stage of lung cancer.
Accurate biopsy of lung nodules is often required to tell benign nodules from malignant ones. To date, the most commonly used method, CT-guided transthoracic needle biopsy, carries a high complication rate — including pneumothorax, or partial lung collapse, affecting about 25% of patients. Treatment of the partially collapsed lung often requires a chest tube during a multiple day inpatient stay.
Robert Lentz, MD
This study is the first to directly compare these biopsy techniques and the results are compelling, said first author Robert Lentz, MD, associate professor of Medicine and Thoracic Surgery in the Division of Allergy, Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The study, conducted across seven centers in the United States, compared the two techniques in a multicenter, randomized trial involving 234 patients with lung nodules between 10-30 mm.
Navigational bronchoscopy uses a sophisticated targeting system and 3D imaging to guide biopsy tools through small peripheral airways directly to a lung nodule.
The comparison revealed a diagnostic accuracy of 79% using navigational technology, closely matching the 74% accuracy of transthoracic biopsy. More importantly, the risk of pneumothorax was significantly lower, occurring in only 3% of bronchoscopy patients compared to 35% in those undergoing transthoracic biopsy. Severe cases requiring hospital admission or chest tube insertion were less than 1% with bronchoscopy, as opposed to 14% with the traditional method.
“With approximately 300,000 lung nodule biopsies performed annually in the U.S., shifting to navigational bronchoscopy could greatly reduce complications and hospital stays. This study confirms its diagnostic efficacy and superior safety profile, making it the preferred choice for lung nodule diagnosis,” said senior author Fabien Maldonado, MD, MSc, professor of Medicine and Thoracic Surgery and director of Interventional Pulmonology.
The research team plans to continue exploring optimal biopsy techniques, comparing different navigational and robotic bronchoscopy systems, and studying novel biopsy tools, said Maldonado, Pierre Massion Director in Lung Cancer Research.
They are also involved in research on bronchoscopic ablation of lung cancer, advancing the field of interventional pulmonology.
“As a relatively new medical subspecialty, we are quite proud and excited to have matured our research infrastructure to the point of being able to produce high quality multicenter trials like this, and hope that publication of this trial will serve as an introduction of sorts for interventional pulmonology to the larger general medical audience,” said Lentz.
A grant from VoLo Foundation will augment federal funding for the Southern Environmental Health Study, an initiative to determine whether environmental exposures are contributing to cancer cases in the region.
The study received its initial funding from the National Cancer Institute and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. A grant from VoLo Foundation — a private nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating global impact through science-based solutions, education enhancement, and health improvement initiatives — will allow investigators to recruit additional participants and conduct methylation- and proteomics-based biological aging assays to check for biomarkers of early disease risk.
On cancer incidence and mortality maps, some of the highest rates in the country appear in the southern U.S., but whether environmental exposures are a contributing factor has not been scientifically determined. The study is a long-term cohort investigation that will follow participants for at least 10 to 20 years. The participants are between the ages of 40 and 70 and live in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia or the District of Columbia.
“Humans are exposed to large numbers of chemicals and their mixtures with more than 80,000 chemicals having been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency,” said Wei Zheng, MD, PhD, MPH, the Anne Potter Wilson Professor of Medicine and the director of the Vanderbilt Epidemiology Center. “However, very few of them have been adequately investigated in relation to human cancers and other diseases in epidemiologic studies. There are considerable challenges in studying environmental exposures in epidemiologic studies.”
Participants will wear silicone wristbands designed to collect chemicals, which researchers will use to measure exposure to approximately 500 compounds. They will also analyze blood samples to assess the internal exposome using both liquid chromatography and gas chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry, allowing them to detect approximately 1,500 confirmed chemicals and endogenous metabolites. To identify potential environmental carcinogens, the researchers will use an innovative exposome-wide association study to link chemical exposures with disease biomarkers, including indicators of biological aging and inflammation.
“Supporting the Southern Environmental Health Study aligns with our mission to advance data-driven solutions that can lead to healthier, more resilient communities. This research has the potential to uncover possible links between environmental exposures and chronic diseases,” said David Vogel, co-founder and chief scientist of VoLo Foundation.
Vogel and his wife, Thais Lopez Vogel, formed the VoLo Foundation in 2014.
“We are very grateful for the support of the VoLo Foundation and believe that this study will generate significant amounts of novel data regarding potential impacts of environmental exposures on human health and pave the way for future studies in this important area,” Zheng said.
From his infusion chair, Matt Duckworth would clap and yell “woohoo” each time he heard another cancer patient ring the bell to mark the completion of chemotherapy treatment, even though he knew he would never get that opportunity.
Matt Duckworth
On Friday, April 25 — seven months after his death — the bell pealed loudly at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center infusion clinic as a plaque was unveiled in his honor and the announcement was made that patients receiving palliative chemotherapy would also get to ring the bell going forward.
Duckworth was in the prime of his life at age 41, working as director of Population Health Operations for Vanderbilt Health Affiliated Network and doting on his three dogs with his wife, Suzanne, when he was diagnosed in 2020 with Stage 4 gastroesophageal cancer that had metastasized to his liver. Although the chemotherapy didn’t cure his cancer, the treatments did extend his life for four years.
“Matt had infusions weekly, and as we were sitting in the infusion room for hours at a time, we would hear the bell ring, and we would hear everybody clapping,” said Suzanne Duckworth. “He would clap and yell, ‘Woohoo!’ He just emitted such a positive vibe and aura. I would sit there and think, ‘He’s never going to get that because he has terminal cancer.’ Now, that thought might have come into his brain, but you would never know it because he never said it.”
Suzanne Duckworth consoles her mother-in-law, Betsye Duckworth, as Stephanie Broderick, who worked with Matt Duckworth, reads words of appreciation from his colleagues. (photo by Susan Urmy)
She asked Vanderbilt-Ingram about adding a plaque, and a ceremony was held in Matt’s memory to mark the occasion. Colleagues, family and friends shared stories about the man, who was beloved for his sense of humor, love for trips to Disney World and his affinity for dogs. His physician, Michael Gibson, MD, PhD, associate professor of Medicine, spoke about the relationship he developed with Matt and how much he enjoyed spending time with him.
Suzanne Duckworth stated, “This is for you, Matt,” and rang the bell.
His mother, Betsye, stood nearby wiping away a tear. On the plaque that had just been unveiled was a poem written by his sister, Jill Comfort.
I stand before the bell today
Not for an end, but to proudly say
I fought with every breath I had
Through days of pain and times of glad
I ring this bell for all I’ve done
For every battle, fought and won
For every day, for every try
I ring the bell — head held high
Ten years younger than Matt, Comfort had come to Nashville from Mississippi, to help Suzanne, who is a Vanderbilt nurse, with her big brother when he began hospice care. It had also bothered her that Matt never got to ring that bell, so she bought him one and read him the poem she had written.
“But he wouldn’t ring the bell because that was admitting defeat,” Suzanne Duckworth said.
A native of Clinton, Mississippi, Matt excelled in life, attaining an undergraduate degree in journalism, a Master of Science in public relations and then a Juris Doctor from Mississippi College of Law with honors followed by a Doctor of Healthcare Administration.
He and Suzanne married in 2003 and eventually moved to Nashville, where they both established careers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
“When things were running down, he didn’t want to give up,” Comfort said. “Then one day, he asked me if I would read the poem at his funeral and ring the bell. That somehow transpired into where we are today. We talked about how there were other people in his situation that don’t get that opportunity who are needing treatments for years and years. They need some encouragement.”
Suzanne Duckworth approached Julie Bulger, manager of Patient- and Family-Centered Care at Vanderbilt-Ingram about allowing any chemotherapy patient to ring the bell regardless of whether they had completed treatment or achieved remission.
“When Suzanne shared her idea about a new plaque, I deeply appreciated what she said, how when Matt heard the bell, he felt happy for those who rang it,” Bulger said. “It is rung traditionally at the end of treatment, but many patients may never have that opportunity. This thought comes from a lot of places, not only from Matt, but Suzanne articulated it so beautifully. I believe this is going to resonate with many people.
“The bell can be rung at any time. It doesn’t have to be the last day of treatment. It can be rung because you’re having a bad day, and you’re fighting, and it’s hard. Or you have achieved a different milestone. You want to ring that bell because it’s going to mean something for you, and you want to feel uplifted,” Bulger said.
Experts on the research, clinical use, governance and ethical use of artificial intelligence gathered for the recent Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center 26th Annual Scientific Symposium.
In a twist from years past, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows took the helm in selecting the topics and inviting speakers focused on “Artificial Intelligence in Cancer Research and Clinical Care.”
The keynote speakers were Eytan Ruppin, MD, PhD, chief of the Cancer Data Science Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute, and Gelareh Zadeh, MD, PhD, chair of the Department of Neurologic Surgery at Mayo Clinic.
Ruppin detailed how he is developing computational approaches for advancing precision oncology, and Zadeh explained how she is using integrated multi-platform molecular analysis of brain tumors to predict patients’ responses to targeted therapies. Ruppin participated in panel discussions about artificial intelligence.
“I am enriched talking to you guys,” Ruppin said. “I develop AI materials, but I am not using them to treat patients. I am learning a lot.”
Douglas Flora, MD, executive medical director of Oncology Services at the Yung Family Cancer Center at St. Elizabeth in Edgewood, Kentucky, and the editor-in-chief of AI in Precision Oncology, replied, “All of us are cross pollinating. That’s why I love a symposium like this.”
In opening the first panel discussion that focused on ethics, Ellen Wright Clayton, MD, JD, the Craig-Weaver Professor of Pediatrics, professor of Law and professor of Health Policy at Vanderbilt, framed artificial intelligence from an historical perspective, noting that “decision support is not new to medicine.” She gave specific examples of how clinicians can use artificial intelligence for decision support but stressed that they should not rely solely on it for treatment plans.
“It is not OK simply to get the AI output and just do what it says,” Clayton said. “Maybe it is OK, but it is always required to see if that’s the right advice. Always.”
In another twist from years past, the Mission Moment, which is a personal testament from a patient, was presented by a pediatric cancer survivor for the first time. Easton Reeder, 13, who has undergone surgery and chemotherapy for pilocytic astrocytoma — a type of brain tumor — shared about his experiences living with cancer. He told his story vividly with flashes of humor, describing how being tossed in the air like a rodeo clown by a Great Dane led to his diagnosis.
Clinicians initially concluded that he had a concussion because of persistent headaches that followed, but his mother, who is a nurse, insisted on a brain scan. Reeder, a committed athlete, who continued playing sports even while undergoing chemotherapy, was given a jersey signed by Vanderbilt baseball players.
“I learned that tomorrow isn’t a promise, and I have to make the best of every moment I have,” Reeder said. “I also learned that there is no ‘normal button.’ I have been trying to learn that power since forever, until I realized that power is not to be . . . God has proven to me that anything is possible through him.”
In his welcoming remarks, Vanderbilt-Ingram director Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, emphasized the importance of training new generations of cancer researchers and clinicians.
“This is an opportunity for us to celebrate all the cancer research going on at Vanderbilt-Ingram,” Park said. “For all of you who don’t know, we really run the spectrum of everything research: clinical, population science, laboratory science and everything in between. This is our time of the year when we get to showcase and highlight not only the great science that our external panelists and presenters are going to bring — but you will be duly impressed, as I always am, by what our trainees bring to the table. The future really is bright, and we have to keep sustaining our future by encouraging and mentoring the next generation, which will ultimately lead to more cures.”
From left are Christopher Williams, MD, PhD, associate director of Research Education at VICC, Michael Robinson, MD; Guochong “Damon” Jia, PhD, postdoctoral scholar of the year, Katie Brown, PhD, co-chair of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Scientific Symposium, Candace Grisham, MS, co-graduate student of the year, Xiaopeng Sun, PhD, co-graduate student of the year, Jared Rhodes, co-chair of the Scientific Symposium, Ben Ho Park, MD, PhD, director of VICC. (photo by Donn Jones)
Two tied in voting for the Graduate Student of the Year. Candace Grisham, MS, received the honor for her research into brain tumors, including a study she authored that was published in Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery. Xiaopeng Sun, PhD, is the other co-awardee for his research into biomarkers to predict immunotherapy outcomes in patients, and his prolific contributions to that field of study, including 12 studies published in scientific journals.
Guochong “Damon” Jia, PhD, MPH, is the Postdoctoral Scholar of the Year. He was selected for his high-impact research that has advanced the understanding of cancer genetics and epidemiology, including the largest genetic study ever conducted on breast cancer in African ancestry populations, which was published in Nature Genetics.
The poster exhibition was one of the largest ever for the annual event. Sarah Reed took home the overall winner award for her entry “Identifying Genotype-Specific Effects of CHIP on Solid Tumors Using Chimeric Mouse Modeling and Clinical Data.”
In the Translational Science Category, Julia Steele won first place; Alexander Kwiatkowski, PhD, won second place; Heather Beasley, PhD, won third place; and honorable mention went to Jacey Marshall.
Robust participation in the Basic Science Category resulted in duplicate prizes due to the number of entries. Rachel Sinard and Lincoln Brown won first place prizes. Emily Green and Logan Vlach received second place awards, andAnna Gilbert and Alyssa Jarabek received third place awards. Honorable mentions went to Sydney Bates, Nicholas Eleuteri, Sarah Glass, PhD, Gabriela Gonzalez Vasquez, Maxwell Hamilton, Yash Pershad, Jared Rhodes and Brenda Rios.
In the Population Science Category, Michael Betti received first place; Duc Huy Le, MD, MBA, received second place; and there was a tie for third place with Melissa Goldin and Jiajun Shi, PhD, both receiving awards. Honorable mention went to Grace Xu.
The cellular therapy programs at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, and the VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System have received reaccreditation from the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).
Founded in 1995, FACT establishes standards for high quality medical and laboratory practice in cellular therapies. FACT is a nonprofit corporation co-founded by the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy and the American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy for the purposes of voluntary inspection and accreditation in the field of cellular therapy.
“FACT is an internationally recognized accrediting body for hospitals that offer stem cell transplant and cellular therapy, and recognition by FACT indicates that the accredited institution has met the most rigorous standard in every aspect of cellular therapy,” said Adetola Kassim, MD, professor of Medicine and director of the Vanderbilt Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy Program. “This covers the entire spectrum of stem cell therapy from clinical care to donor management, cell collection, processing, storage, transplant, administration and cell release.”
The Vanderbilt and VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System programs received accreditation notification on April 14 after on-site inspections in October 2024. The accreditation is effective for three years.
“Congratulations to the entire Vanderbilt University Medical Center and VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System team on achieving FACT accreditation and providing quality care for the people we serve,” Kassim said.
Kimberly Dahlman, PhD, associate professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology and Oncology, has been elected to the board of directors of the International Association of Medical Science Educators (IAMSE).
Dahlman, who is the assistant director of Cancer Research Training and Education at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, will begin serving her three-year term upon the closing of the association’s annual conference on June 17. She serves as co-director of the third- and fourth-year undergraduate medical education curriculum at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and as co-director of the Research Education Core of the Meharry-Vanderbilt-Tennessee State University Cancer Partnership.
She is also director of the VERTICAL post-baccalaureate program, the V-EXCEL undergraduate cancer research program and the VISTO medical student research program at Vanderbilt-Ingram. Nationally, she is president of the Association of Biochemistry Educators.
With more than 2,000 members, the IAMSE’s mission is to advance health profession education through teacher development and to ensure that the teaching and learning of medical science continues to be firmly grounded in foundational sciences and the best practices of teaching.
Eunyoung Choi, PhD, associate professor of Surgery and of Cell and Developmental Biology is the recipient of the Young Investigator Award in Basic Science from the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).
Each year, the AGA honors two early-career investigators, one in basic science and one in clinical science, for their research achievements. The honorees must have held an academic faculty position for less than seven years.
The AGA honored Choi for her work defining key oncogenes critical to gastric carcinogenesis, and for identifying potential drug candidates to target gastric precancerous stem cells. Choi specializes in the cellular mechanisms that drive the evolution of precancerous cells in gastric cancer and has pioneered the use of transgenic animal and precancer organoid models.
An active AGA member, she serves as an abstract reviewer and council member for the AGA Council Cellular & Molecular Gastroenterology Section. Her accolades include the NIH/NCI Outstanding MERIT Award and the AGA-R. Robert & Sally Funderburg Research Award in Gastric Cancer, American Association for Cancer Research-Debbie’s Dream Foundation Innovation Grant, and the Vanderbilt University Stanley Cohen Innovation Fund Award.
Pelayo Correa, MD, professor emeritus of Medicine and Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and John Kuriyan, PhD, dean of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine Basic Sciences, have been elected to the 2025 class of fellows of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Academy.
John Kuriyan, PhD
The mission of the fellows of the AACR Academy is to recognize and honor extraordinary scientists whose groundbreaking contributions have driven significant innovation and progress in the fight against cancer.
Fellows of the AACR Academy constitute a global brain trust of leading experts in cancer science and medicine, working to advance the AACR’s mission to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, collaboration, communication, advocacy and funding for cancer research.
Fellows of the AACR Academy are nominated and elected through a peer-reviewed process that rigorously evaluates each candidate’s scientific achievements and contributions to global cancer research. Only those whose work has made a profound and lasting impact on cancer research and related fields are considered for election and induction into the AACR Academy.
Correa was recognized for his “illustrious work defining the histological stages of gastric carcinogenesis through the ‘Correa Cascade’ and establishing the link between Helicobacter pylori infection and gastric cancer, fundamentally advancing the understanding of the pathology, epidemiology, and prevention of this disease.”
Kuriyan, Mary Geddes Stahlman Chair and University Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Cell and Developmental Biology, was recognized for his “heralded contributions to cell signaling and kinase biology, including the elucidation of the switching mechanisms of tyrosine kinases such as SRC and EGFR, which has advanced the fundamental understanding of signal transduction regulation and informed the development of kinase-targeted therapies for cancer and other malignancies.”
Correa and Kuriyan are among 33 new fellows who will be recognized at the AACR Annual Meeting on April 25-30 in Chicago. Including this year’s class, only 375 cancer researchers have been named fellows of the AACR Academy.
Some cancer patients experience durable remissions from immune checkpoint inhibitors that spur their T cells to attack cancer cells, but these immunotherapies can also cause reactions.
One of the adverse effects of these treatments is skin reactions known as cutaneous immune-related adverse events (cirAEs), although it is not known how often they morph into a chronic condition. Research led by investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center published in JAMA Dermatology provides insight into chronic cirAEs. They recommended long-term follow-up for patients by dermatologists familiar with cirAEs and consideration of corticosteroid-sparing treatment options.
“Understanding the potential for side effects to become long-lasting has been an important advance recently, and managing them more effectively is a key unmet need,” said the study’s corresponding author, Douglas Johnson, MD, MSCI, professor of Medicine, holder of the Susan and Luke Simons Directorship, and co-leader of the Translational Research and Interventional Oncology Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.
The investigators reviewed the records of 318 patients from a previous study who had been treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Of that number, 100 or 31% developed cirAEs with the skin conditions becoming chronic for 24 of the patients — nearly 8% of the full cohort. The study looked at 21 of those patients who underwent detailed follow-up. Another 31 patients were added from Vanderbilt clinics who were treated for cirAEs.
The 52 patients had received either pembrolizumab, nivolumab, ipilimumab or anti-PD1 and CTLA4 combination therapy.
The types of skin reactions varied, with 15 experiencing pruritus or itchy skin, 12 experienced morbilliform eruptions or drug-induced skin rashes, 12 experienced dermatitis or inflamed and scaly rashes, eight experienced bullous pemphigoid-like eruptions (fluid-filled blisters that resemble a rare autoimmune skin disease), five experienced eczema, four experienced lichenoid (flat-topped, scaly lesions), two experienced psoriasiform (breakouts that resemble psoriasis), and one experienced acneiform or acne-like eruptions.
The median duration of cirAE from treatment cessation was 446 days. Rare cases lasted more than five years.
Other Vanderbilt authors on the study included the study’s lead author, Kylie Fletcher, BS, Rachel Goodman, MD, MBA, J. Randall Patrinely, MD, MBA, and Anna Dewan, MD, MHS.
The research received support from Medical Scholars at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the Susan and Luke Simons Directorship, the James C. Bradford Jr. Fund in Melanoma Cancer Research and the Van Stephenson Memorial Cancer Research Fund.
