Johns Hopkins Pancreas Multidisciplinary Cancer Clinic

About your team

The Pancreas Multidisciplinary Cancer Clinic is designed to evaluate patients with known or suspected pancreatic cancer. The clinic is committed to a comprehensive single day evaluation incorporating all the resources available for the education, diagnosis, treatment and research of pancreatic cancer.

Coordinator

Ms. Coleman is an acute care nurse practitioner and coordinator of the Pancreas Multidisciplinary Cancer Clinic. She has specialized in the care and education of patients with pancreatic and hepatobiliary disease for the past 25 years with a special interest in the continuum of care, symptom management, quality of life, palliative and end of life care. She has worked on many research projects related to the surgical management of patients with pancreatic and biliary diseases, contributed numerous articles to medical and nursing journals, and has a joint appointment in the Johns Hopkins School of Nursing and the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Ms. Coleman was awarded the Dorothy Evans Lyne Fund for Collaborative Nursing Research from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing to evaluate the quality and content of the Johns Hopkins Pancreatic Cancer Web site. She is certified as an advanced practice oncology certified nurse and is active in the national and local chapter of the Oncology Nursing Society.
CLICK FOR MORE...JoAnn Coleman, RN, MS, ACNP, AOCN

Medical oncology

Dr. Laheru is an assistant Professor in Medical Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center
CLICK FOR MORE...Daniel Laheru, MD
Dr. Ross C. Donehower is a professor of oncology and medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Director, Division of Medical Oncology at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center and director of the medical oncology fellowship training program at the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center
CLICK FOR MORE...Ross Donehower, MD
Dr Hidalgo is a Medical Oncologist. His research interest is in developing new drugs for pancreatic cancer. The Hidalgo's lab is generating the PancXenoBank mouse colony to individualize the treatment of pancreatic cancer. Dr Hidalgo is the principal investigator of a number of early clinical trials with novel drugs for pancreatic cancer.
CLICK FOR MORE...Manuel Hidalgo, MD, PhD
Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee is a Professor of Oncology, Immunology, Pathology, and Cellular and Molecular Medicine. She has been developing new vaccine therapies for the treatment of cancer since 1990.
CLICK FOR MORE...Elizabeth Jaffee, MD
Sonja Barsky, CRNP
Keith McIntyre, CRNP
Dung Le, MD
Luis Diaz MD

Radiation oncology

The Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences is dedicated to integrating the most advanced imaging and radiation technology with translational research. We have the ability to utilize 4-D CT scans to monitor the motion of the pancreas and adjacent normal tissues (kidneys and liver) during breathing motion. This can result in more accurate delivery of the radiation and allow for dose escalation to the tumor. PET/CT scans can be used to more clearly define the pancreatic tumor during treatment planning. Treatment with the Tomotherapy machine is available for selected pancreatic cases. Innovative protocols combining novel agents with radiation are available for patients with resectable and unresectable pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Herman attended graduate and medical school at the University of Maryland. His focus on statistics, patient related quality of life, and research led to a career in radiation oncology. After completing a residency at the University of Michigan he returned to the Johns Hopkins to specialize in pancreatic cancer. His primary interests include translational and clinical research, and improving patients' quality of life. He recently received a Sol Goldman Grant to study the effects of radiation and vaccine (immune) therapy on pancreatic cancer. He is studying how 4-D and PET-CT scans can be used to better assess treatment response, decrease toxicity, and allow radiation dose escalation.
CLICK FOR MORE...Joseph Herman MD, MSc
Fariba Asrari, MD
Deborah Frassica, MD

Surgical oncology

Dr. Schulick attended college and medical school at the Johns Hopkins University. He completed his residency training in General Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions and has completed fellowships in Surgical Oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in (New York City), Immunology at the National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, Maryland), and Advanced Gastrointestinal Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. He is the Chief of the Cameron Surgical Oncology Service at Johns Hopkins.
CLICK FOR MORE...Richard Schulick, MD
Nita Ahuja, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an attending surgeon at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Ahuja obtained her medical education at Duke University School of Medicine and her training in General Surgery at Johns Hopkins University. In addition, she completed a fellowship in surgical oncology at Johns Hopkins focused on hepatobiliary malignancies. Her primary clinical interests are cancers and tumors of the pancreas, bile duct, stomach, colon and rectum and abdominal sarcomas.
CLICK FOR MORE...Nita Ahuja, MD
Dr. John L. Cameron is the Alfred Blalock Distinguished Service Professor of Surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. For nineteen years he served as the Chief of Surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Cameron obtained his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in 1958, and his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1962. All of his training in General and Thoracic Surgery was obtained at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Cameron has had a long-standing interest in alimentary tract diseases, and specifically in pancreatic cancer. He has operated upon more patients with pancreatic cancer, and done more Whipple resections than any other surgeon in the world. He has been a leader in Alimentary Tract Surgery for many years.
CLICK FOR MORE...John Cameron, MD
Kurtis A. Campbell, M.D. is an Associate Professor of Surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an attending surgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Campbell obtained his undergraduate degree at Denison University in 1982 and graduated from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1986. His residency training in General Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital was completed in 1993 after which he spent an advanced year of training in pancreatic and biliary tract surgery at Hopkins with Dr. Cameron. He has also completed a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care. His primary clinical interests include pancreatic and biliary tract surgery, general surgery of the upper gastrointestinal tract including minimally invasive (laparoscopic) techniques, and surgery of the trauma patient.
CLICK FOR MORE...Kurtis Campbell. MD
Michael A. Choti, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an Attending Surgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. He is a graduate of the Yale University School of Medicine and received his surgical training at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. After completing his general surgery residency in 1990, Dr. Choti went on for advanced surgical training in surgical oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. In 1992, he joined the full-time faculty at Johns Hopkins University. His major areas of interest are gastrointestinal malignancies including hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer.
CLICK FOR MORE...Michael Choti, MD
Frederic Eckhauser, M.D. is a Professor of Surgery and Director of Clinical Operations in the Department of Surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an attending surgeon at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Eckhauser trained at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and completed his residency in 1976. He served as the Chief of the Division of Gastrointestinal Surgery and the Director of the Multidisciplinary GI Cancer Clinic at the University of Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan for nearly 25 years before returning to the Johns Hopkins in 2001.
CLICK FOR MORE...Frederic Eckhauser, MD
Steven D. Leach is the Paul K. Neumann Professor in Pancreatic Cancer, Chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology, and Director of Research in the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins. Dr. Leach received his undergraduate degree in Biology at Princeton University, followed by his M.D. degree at Emory. He subsequently completed training in Surgery and Cell Biology at Yale, as well as a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.
CLICK FOR MORE...Steven Leach, MD
Dr. Makary specializes in the special needs of elderly patients and in laparoscopic (minimally-invasive) surgery. He completed his surgical training at Georgetown University and further specialty training in pancreas surgery at Johns Hopkins. His resesarch focuses on operative risk assessment in elderly patients, pre-operative testing strategies, laparoscopic surgery, and patient safety. Dr. Makary is available by email for inquirys, and arranges video-conferencing for patients or family members by i-Chat or SKYPE.
CLICK FOR MORE...Martin Makary, MD
Timothy M. Pawlik received his undergraduate degree from Georgetown University and his medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine. He completed his surgical training at the University of Michigan Hospital and spent two years at the Massachusetts General Hospital as a surgical oncology research fellow. Dr. Pawlik went on for advanced training in surgical oncology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
CK FOR MORE...Tim Pawlik, MD
Christopher L. Wolfgang, M.D., Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an attending surgeon at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Wolfgang obtained his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine and residency training in General Surgery at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.
CLICK FOR MORE...Christopher Wolfgang, MD, PhD
Barish H. Edil, M.D. is an Assistant Professor of Surgery and Oncology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and an attending surgeon at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Edil obtained his undergraduate degree and medical degree from the University of Wisconsin. He completed his residency training in general surgery at the University of Oklahoma and eventually became the Assistant Chief of Service at Johns Hopkins University which consisted of advanced training in pancreas and biliary tract surgery under the direction of John Cameron, M.D.
CLICK FOR MORE...Barish Edil, MD
Cathy Stanfield, CRNP
Monica Wellings, PA

Gastroenterology

Marcia (Mimi) Canto is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Oncology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is also the Director of Endoscopy at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr. Canto received her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of the Philippines in Manila in 1981 (summa cum laude). She received her Doctor of Medicine degree in 1985 from the University of the Philippines and completed her training in Internal Medicine from State University of New York Sciences Center in Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York.
CLICK FOR MORE...Marcia (Mimi) Canto, MD, MHS
Michael Goggins is a 1988 graduate of the University of Dublin, Trinity College. He did his internal medicine residency and a fellowship in gastroenterology in St. James' hospital, Dublin. He was a Lecturer in Medicine in Trinity College from 1992-1995. He obtained his Membership of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland in 1991 and his European Diploma in Gastroenterology in 1995.
CLICK FOR MORE...Michael Goggins, MD
Sanjay Jagannath, MD
Sergey Kantsevoy, MD
Dr. Jimeno received his PhD and completed his training in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology in Madrid, Spain. After complementing his training as a clinical researcher with a Drug Development Fellowship at Johns Hopkins from 2003 to 2006, Dr. Jimeno joined the faculty as an Instructor of Oncology in 2006. His research focus is integrating preclinical and clinical drug development approaches with the objective of identifying drugs with the potential of improving treatment options for pancreatic cancer patients, with a special interest in strategies to individualize anticancer therapy.
CLICK FOR MORE... Antonio Jimeno, MD, PhD

Pathology

Not all tumors that involve the pancreas are pancreatic cancer. Over forty distinct tumors of the pancreas have been described, and in many instances the type of tumor will determine the most appropriate treatment. The faculty of The Department of Pathology integrate the most advanced diagnostic technologies with translational research to provide cutting edge diagnostic excellence. We have extensive expertise in both Surgical Pathology (the interpretation of biopsies and surgically resected materials), and in Cytopathology (the interpretation of cells that are removed from tissues by fine needle aspiration).

Ralph H. Hruban is a Professor of Pathology and Oncology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the Director of The Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, and Director of the Division of Gastrointestinal/Liver Pathology. Dr. Hruban has written over 400 scientific papers, 80 book chapters and reviews, and three books.
CLICK FOR MORE...Ralph Hruban, MD
Syed Ali, MD

Radiology

Elliot Fishman, MD
Karen Horton, MD
Satomi Kawamoto, MD

Genetics Counseling

Jennifer Axilbund joined the pancreatic cancer registry Team as the genetic counselor in June of 2000. Ms. Axilbund has a Masters of Science in Genetic Counseling from the University of Colorado as well as a Masters of Science in Molecular Biology and Genetics from Northwestern University. Ms. Axilbund specializes in cancer genetics.
CLICK FOR MORE...Jennifer Axilbund

National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry

Dr. Alison P. Klein is the director of the registry. Her main focus is the study of the epidemiology of pancreatic cancer including identifying individuals most at risk of developing pancreatic cancer as well as understanding the other types of cancer that may run in families together with pancreatic cancer.
CLICK FOR MORE...Alison Klein, PhD
Prior to coming to Johns Hopkins, Marian practiced as a physician assistant for 25 years in OB/GYN. She began working here in August 2005, enrolling patients into the National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry. In addition, she is involved in research studies focusing on the genetics and metastatic progression of pancreas cancer.Marian Raben, MS, PA-C
Emily Palmisano is the coordinator of the NFPTR. Ms. Palmisano graduated from St. Mary's College in Maryland in 2005 with a Bachelors of Arts in Biology. Ms. Palmisano joined the NFPTR Team in July of 2005 and has been an excellent fit for the registry.Emily Palmisano

Dietitians

Keri Culton, RD, LDN, CNSD
Mary-Eve Brown, RD, LDN
Lisa Wozniak, RD, LDN

Pain Management

Dr. Erdek received his undergraduate medical education at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Walter Lewis Croll and James and Helen Hovorka Scholar. He trained in Surgery at the Geisinger Medical Center and in Anesthesiology at the University of Florida. He completed his subspecialty training in Pain Medicine and Critical Care Medicine at The Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Erdek is the director of the Chronic Inpatient Pain Service and director of Quality Improvement for the Division of Pain Medicine.
CLICK FOR MORE...Michael A. Erdek, M.D.

Social Work

Nancy Robinson