Mesothelioma Experts

Obtaining the best medical treatment available is a priority for those diagnosed with mesothelioma. Often, the best approach to treating mesothelioma is an interdisciplinary one and can include oncologists, thoracic surgeons, and medical professionals from a variety of other disciplines. To assist you in your search for the best mesothelioma cancer treatment available, we have identified the following top mesothelioma experts in the country.

Dr. David Sugarbaker

Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Dr. David Sugarbaker has long been at the center of malignant mesothelioma research. A graduate of Cornell University Medical Center and a Professor of Surgical Oncology at Harvard University Medical School, Sugarbaker – one of the country’s most renowned mesothelioma experts – is best known for developing and promoting the multi-modal approach to treating mesothelioma. This approach – which includes extrapleural pneumonectomy as well as chemotherapy and radiation – has done much to improve the survival rate for mesothelioma patients.

Dr. Sugarbaker also founded the International Pleural Mesothelioma Program, which is a worldwide research and clinical project that focuses on finding new and better treatments for pleural mesothelioma, the most common form of the disease. As the founder and coordinator of this program, Dr. Sugarbaker lectures extensively about the disease, both at meetings and workshops for medical professionals as well as for gatherings of mesothelioma patients and their families.

Contact Information

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
(617) 732-6824

Dr. Harvey Pass

Director of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at New York University (NYU) Hospital, Dr. Harvey Pass is considered an expert in the treatment of a number of malignant lung diseases, including mesothelioma. Formerly with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Pass continues his relationship with the NCI and NCI-funded research work in his role as director of the Bellevue Hospital Laboratory, which is home to the Mesothelioma Pathogenesis Program Project.

Dr. Pass has also conducted numerous clinical trials investigating the use of intraoperative photodynamic therapy for the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. He was also the first surgeon in the country to contemplate the use of this form of therapy for patients suffering from thoracic cancers. In addition, he lectures extensively about the dangers of asbestos use, is a keynote speaker at mesothelioma awareness events, and has been published in countless peer-related journals.

Contact Information

NYU Medical Center
School of Medicine
530 First Avenue
New York, NY 10016
(212) 731-5414

Dr. Valerie Rusch

Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, Valerie Rusch is considered one of the most notable women in her field and a renowned mesothelioma expert. Formerly on the staff at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, Rusch focuses her research on the genetics of lung cancers like mesothelioma and centers not only on the treatment of thoracic cancers but also on ways to better detect them at an earlier stage.

In addition, Dr. Rusch has also chaired the Lung, Esophagus and Thoracic Malignancies Task Force and is the past-editor of The Oncologist magazine. As a writer, she has contributed to numerous peer-review journals. She is also co-editor of “Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma”, a book that represents a comprehensive overview on the subject of pleural malignancies, considered a must-read for those assisting patients with this form of mesothelioma.

Contact Information

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue
New York, NY 10021
(212) 639-5873

Dr. David Rice

Dr. Rice is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and has joint appointments with the Ben Taub General Hospital and the Houston Veteran Affairs Medical Center.

Dr. Rice earned his medical degree from the University of Dublin, Trinity College School of Medicine and completed his general surgery residency at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. While there he completed a fellowship in tumor immunology and researched the possibilities of stimulating T-cells in the immune system to better treat cancer.

Serving as the director of the Minimally Invasive Surgery Program at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Rice is a strong advocate for the use of less invasive protocols to treat mesothelioma and other types of thoracic tumors.

Contact Information

Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Blvd., Box 445
Houston, Texas 77030
(713) 745-4530

Dr. Raja M. Flores

Dr. Flores is considered a leading expert in the research and treatment of pleural mesothelioma. Currently Chief of Thoracic Surgery at the Mount Sinai Medical Center, Dr. Flores is a graduate of New York University and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He completed numerous internships and residencies including a Thoracic Oncology Clinical Research Fellowship and residency in cardiothoracic surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Dr. Flores has led many clinical trials involving the study and treatment of mesothelioma. A notable trial recently completed by Dr. Flores studied the use of neoadjuvant gemcitabine and cisplatin followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy and high dose radiation to treat malignant mesothelioma. Another clinical trial led by Flores was profiled in The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery and focused on the largest series of cases comparing extrapleural pneumonectomy to pleurectomy decortication. Dr. Flores is a contributor for many peer-reviewed journals and is active in a number of professional organizations.

Contact Information

Mount Sinai School of Medicine
One Gustave L. Levy Place
New York, NY 10029-6574
(212) 241-9466

Dr. Paul H. Sugarbaker

Dr. Paul Sugarbaker, Director of Surgical Oncology at the Washington Cancer Institute, is an expert in the treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma using a combination of cytoreductive surgery with intraperitoneal and systemic chemotherapy. Dr. Sugarbaker earned his Bachelor’s degree from Wheaton College and attended Cornell University Medical School. He also earned a Master’s degree in Immunology from Harvard University.

Dr. Sugarbaker has published a large number of scientific articles, books and reports and co-authored an article that appeared in The Oncologist entitled "Update on Chemotherapeutic Agents Utilized for Perioperative Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy." He is also board certified and a member of several medical societies.

Contact Information

Director of Surgical Oncology
Washington Cancer Institute
Washington Hospital Center
106 Irving Street NW, Suite 3900
Washington, DC 20010
(202) 877-3908

Dr. Claire Verschraegen

A native of Belgium and an Associate Professor of Medicine and Director of the Translational Therapeutics and Phase I Program at the University of New Mexico Cancer Center, Dr. Claire Verschraegen is a leading expert in the treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma. Dr. Verschraegen has expertise in hematology and oncology and has been involved in numerous clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of new chemotherapy drugs on this rare type of mesothelioma cancer. She also specializes in gynecological and appendiceal cancer and devotes much of her time researching new and emerging drugs that may be used to treat these diseases as well.

Dr. Verschraegen is board certified in medical oncology and internal medicine in both America and Belgium. As a member of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, she has appeared as a keynote speaker at numerous symposiums and conferences. She is a Fulbright scholar and is the author of many peer-reviewed articles and scientific papers.

Contact Information

Cancer Research and Treatment Center, University of New Mexico
900 Camino De Salud NE
Albuquerque, NM 87131
(505) 272-6760

Dr. David M. Jablons

A renowned expert on lung cancer and a leader in surgical therapies for thoracic cancers such as pleural mesothelioma, Dr. David Jablons is an Ada Distinguished Professor of Thoracic Oncology and Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. He is also Chief of General Thoracic Surgery at the UCSF Medical Center.

After earning his medical degree from Albany Medical College of Union University, Dr. Jablons completed a surgical residency at Tufts-New England Medical Center and a Cardiothoracic Fellowship at Cornell University Medical Center. He has authored numerous articles and research papers and receives many requests to lecture about his lung cancer research at conferences and meetings around the world. Dr. Jablons leads research at the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Laboratory on the molecular biology and genomics of lung cancer.

Contact Information

UCSF Mt. Zion Medical Center
2330 Post St., Suite 420
San Francisco, CA 94115
(415) 885-3882

Dr. Lary Robinson

As Director of the Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute in Tampa, Florida, Dr. Lary Robinson is an expert in the evaluation and treatment of all stages of mesothelioma. Dr. Robinson earned his medical degree from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri and completed an internship at Duke University Medical Center. After serving as a flight surgeon for the U.S. Air Force he completed a Fellowship in Surgery Research and a residency in general and thoracic surgery at Duke University.

Dr. Robinson has served on the Science Advisory Board of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and works on numerous cancer research programs focused on advanced lung cancer and surgical treatment of mesothelioma. He had also authored and co-authored many books, articles and research papers and has been published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

Contact Information

H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
At The University of South Florida
12902 Magnolia Drive
Tampa, FL 33612
(813) 745-8412

Dr. Robert N. Taub

Having received his medical degree from the Yale University School of Medicine and completing an Internship at TUFTS University New England Medical Center and a Fellowship at Yale, Dr. Robert Taub is the Director of the New York-Presbyterian/Columbia Mesothelioma Center. In this capacity he researches and develops chemotherapy and surgical treatment techniques to treat patients diagnosed with mesothelioma.

The Israel Cancer Research Fun, The Mount Sinai Hospital and the American Cancer Society have recognized and awarded his work in the areas of oncology, immunology, hematology and internal medicine. Dr. Taub has also authored numerous articles and research papers and mentors aspiring oncologists in the use of multidisciplinary approaches to treating mesothelioma.

Contact Information

Professor of Clinical Medicine, Program Director
Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital
Atchley Pavilion Room 907
161 Fort Washington Ave.
New York, NY 10032
(212) 305-4076

Dr. Eric Vallieres

Dr. Vallieres is the Surgical Director at the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle Washington and specializes in general thoracic surgery, lung cancer and pleural disease. He attended medical school at the Unitersite Laval Medical School in Quebec, Canada and completed a general surgery residency in Ontario at the University of Toronto. Dr. Vallieres also completed a Fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at the University of Bordeaux in France.

Dr. Vallieres participates in a number of professional organizations and leads several clinical research trials. He is also the author of many articles and abstracts related to lung cancer and pleural disease and a strong advocate for a multidisciplinary approach to treating these illnesses.

Contact Information

Swedish Cancer Institute-Surgical Practices
1101 Madison Street
Suite 850
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 215-6800

Dr. Stephen C. Yang

Chief of the Division of Thoracic Surgery, Surgical Director of the Lung Transplantation Program, and Surgical Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Dr. Stephen C. Yang has strong expertise in diagnosing and treating diseases of the lung and chest including mesothelioma and lung cancer. He is also an Associate Professor of Surgery and Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

Dr. Yang earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Virginia, completed his surgical residency at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, a Fellowship at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center and a Cardiothoracic Fellowship at the Medical College of Virginia. He is board certified in thoracic surgery and is a member of the International Association for Minimally Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Dr. Yang has completed extensive research relating to the early diagnosis of lung cancer and esophageal cancer as well as multi-modal approaches to treating the diseases. He also has expertise with video-assisted thoracic surgery, robotic assisted thoracic surgery and lung volume reduction surgery for those diagnosed with emphysema. He is also the author of a large number of scientific articles and abstracts.

Contact Information

Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Division of Thoracic Surgery
600 N. Wolfe Street Blalock 240
Baltimore, MD 21287
(410) 614-3891

Dr. David H. Harpole, Jr.

Dr. Harpole serves as the Director of the Lung Cancer Prognostic Research Laboratory and is the Vice Chair of Faculty Affairs at Duke University Medical Center. He is also an Associate Professor of Surgery and Assistant Professor of Pathology at the center.

Dr. Harpole earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia and completed a General Surgery Internship and a Thoracic Surgical Fellowship at the Duke University Medical Center. He also taught at Harvard Medical School and worked at Brigham and Women’s Hospital as an Associate in Thoracic Surgery. He also served as a consultant in thoracic surgery at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and was a Staff Thoracic Surgeon at West Roxbury Veterans Medical Center.

His clinical research focuses on general thoracic surgery, thoracoscopic surgery and benign and malignant lung disease treatment. Dr. Harpole is board certified in thoracic surgery and is a member of a number of professional and medical societies. He is also the author of numerous articles and publications.

Contact Information

Duke University Medical Center
2424 Erwin Road
Suite 403
Durham, NC 27705
(919) 668-7157

Dr. Robert Brian Cameron

Currently serving as the Director of Thoracic Oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine, Dr. Robert Cameron is also the Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic and Surgical Oncology. Dr. Cameron earned his medical degree from UCLA where is also completed a General Surgery Residency. In addition, he completed an Oncology Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute as well as a residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Cornell-New York Hospital.

Dr. Cameron has conducted extensive research in the areas of thoracic oncology, thoracic pain management, video-assisted surgery, lung volume reduction surgery and immunology. He currently participates in a number of professional associations and serves as Chairman of the UCLA-Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Contact Information

UCLA Medical Center
10833 Le Conte Avenue
P. O. Box 951741
Los Angeles, California 90095
(310) 267-4612