Gerold Bepler, M.D., Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute, and chair of Oncology for the Wayne State University School of Medicine, announced the promotion of two physician-scientists: Elisabeth Heath, M.D., FACP; and Ulka Vaishampayan, M.D. Each will take on their new leadership roles effective immediately.
Dr. Heath, professor of Oncology for the School of Medicine, will lead the Genitourinary Oncology Multidisciplinary Team at the Karmanos Cancer Institute. She will continue to serve as medical director of the Infusion Center and leader of the Prostate Cancer Research Team.
Dr. Heath has a distinguished career as a prostate cancer researcher, serving as the Patricia C. and E. Jan Hartmann Endowed Chair for Prostate Cancer Research. She is also involved with the Developmental Therapeutics-Molecular Therapeutics Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and is the principal investigator for a Department of Defense grant in the nationally-recognized Prostate Clinical Trials Cancer Consortium.
Dr. Vaishampayan, professor of Hematology-Oncology for the School of Medicine, has been promoted to director of the Phase 1 Clinical Trials Program at Karmanos Cancer Institute's Eisenberg Center for Translational Therapeutics after serving as interim director for nearly two years. She will also serve as the new division chief for Solid Tumor Oncology within the Department of Oncology for the School of Medicine.
Dr. Vaishampayan has led the Karmanos Cancer Institute's Genitourinary Multidisciplinary Team since 2005 and has extensive clinical research expertise. She serves as the Charles Martin Endowed Chair for Cancer Research. She has held a number of national committee appointments, including chair of the GU Group of the National Cancer Institute Phase II Clinical Trial Consortium and co-chair of the California Consortium GU Clinical Trials. She is a member of the Education Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
"We are extremely grateful to have Dr. Heath and Dr. Vaishampayan as part of our caliber team of experts at Karmanos," Dr. Bepler said. "The commitment of these two nationally-recognized medical oncologists is demonstrated each day by the compassionate care they provide to our patients. Their outstanding work is helping to advance and discover new life-saving cancer therapies that will lead to the next standard of cancer care."