miR Scientific Is Transforming Cancer Management Into What It Should Be

Dr. Andrew Armstrong is a tenured Professor of Medicine, Surgery, Pharmacology and Cancer Biology and Director of Research for the Duke Cancer Institute’s Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancer.  He is a medical oncologist and internationally recognized expert in experimental therapeutics and biomarker development in genitourinary cancers, particularly in prostate cancer.  He trained at Duke as a biomedical engineer, received his medical degree at the University of Virginia, medicine residency training at the University of Pennsylvania, fellowship and public health clinical investigation training at Johns Hopkins and the Bloomberg School of Public Health, and joined Duke’s faculty in 2006.  

As a clinical and translational investigator, he is focused on experimental therapeutics for patients with advanced genitourinary malignancies, particularly with a focus on prostate and kidney cancer and the investigation of biomarkers of response and benefit both in the laboratory and in the clinic.  He is funded by the US Department of Defense, PCF/Movember, the NIH, and the American Cancer Society for his work on circulating tumor cell biology and epithelial plasticity.  He led the development of enzalutamide and FDA approval for men with metastatic prostate cancer and studies hormone resistance in the laboratory and ways to overcome this in the clinic.  He was a Prostate Cancer Foundation, AACR, and ASCO Young Investigator Award recipient. He co-chaired Prostate Cancer Working Group 3 which established guidelines in 2016 for clinical research in advanced prostate cancer, and is a leading writing member of the NCCN Prostate Cancer panel since 2012 for national clinical guidelines on the treatment of men with prostate cancer.

Dr. Armstrong has developed a number of experimental agents in prostate and renal cell cancer, including completed or ongoing trials of AR inhibitors, immunotherapies, mTOR/PI3K inhibitors, and anti-angiogenic agents, and is heavily involved in the leadership of multiple ongoing phase 1-4 treatment and biomarker trials in men with advanced prostate cancer including serving as correlative science chair within the NCI ALLIANCE Cooperative Group in the GU Committee.  He has authored over 160 peer reviewed publications as well as numerous chapters, reviews, and abstracts. He leads a team of over 50 research nurses, coordinators, data managers, regulatory specialists, scientists, and investigators dedicated to discovery science in GU cancers in the laboratory and treatment science in the clinic.  As an R01 funded clinical-translational investigator, he has mentored over a dozen medical oncology fellows and junior faculty, and many residents and students both in the clinical, for clinical trials, and for laboratory training.

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Sam S. Chang, MD, MBA, Patricia and Rodes Hart Endowed Professor of Urologic Surgery and Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee serves as the first Chief Surgical Officer at the Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center.  Dr. Chang, a graduate of Princeton University and Justin Potter Scholarship Awardee at Vanderbilt Medical School, completed his uro-oncology fellowship as Chief Fellow at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York.  

Since his return to Nashville, he has focused on urologic oncology and education and has led efforts in integration of evidence-based medicine in clinical pathways, enhanced national guidelines formulation, improved urologic cancer staging, and promoted multi-disciplinary cancer treatment initiatives. He has orchestrated the initiation and expansion of multiple cancer-related treatment protocols at Vanderbilt and elsewhere. Recognized early in his career with a  CaPCURE Prostate Cancer Young Investigator award (now Prostate Cancer Foundation Award), Dr. Chang has served as the Chair of the SUO Panel on Hormone Refractory Prostate Cancer, the Chair of the American Joint Committee on Cancer GU Staging Task Force, the Facilitator and Vice-Chair of the Renal Malignancy Follow-Up AUA Guidelines Panel, the Chair of the AUA/ASCO/ASTRO/SUO Guidelines on Non Invasive and Invasive Bladder Cancer, and the Chair of the AUA Prostate Cancer Core Curriculum Committee.  He was a former member of the AUA Foundation Prostate Advisory Board and is a current member of the NCCN Bladder Cancer Panel, Chair of the AUA Public Policy Panel, Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network (BCAN)’s Scientific Advisory Board, and the Editor in Chief of the American Board of Urology Examination Committee (2021-2024). He was elected (2018-2022) as Assistant Secretary of the American Urological Association. In 2021, Dr. Chang was also named as a member of the AUA Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion.

While maintaining a busy clinical surgical practice focused on prostate, kidney and bladder cancer, he has recently earned his MBA at Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Business. He completed his term as a nominated Fellow of the Nashville Health Care Council in 2016.  Dr. Chang has authored more than 450 original publications and multiple book chapters as well has edited several textbooks. For his academic efforts, he received the SUO’s first-ever Distinguished Service Award and the AUA Gold Cystoscope Award.  His mentoring efforts have been recognized with the Society of Women in Urology (SWIU) Christina Manthos Mentoring Award in 2021.  

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Dr. Yuval Eshdat Ph.D, joined NRS H&W, Israel, at its formation to serve as Chairman of Scientific Advisory and Policy Board. The retired Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (2007-12), serves as NRS’s expert in innovative agricultural research & development, biotechnology and bio-economy.

Dr. Eshdat graduated in Chemistry at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and received its Ph.D. in Biophysics from the Weizmann Institute of Science (1973). He served as research Associate at Yale University Medical School (1974-6) and as Senior Scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science (1976-1981). At the ARO-Volcani Center (1981-2013) he acted as Principal Scientist (protein chemistry and biotechnology), Head of the Department of Fruit-Tree breeding and Molecular Genetics (1990-1998), and Director of the Institute of Horticulture and Floriculture at the ARO (1998-2002). His scientific work expanded in both fields of agricultural biotechnology and bio-medicine, including international collaboration as senior scientist and visiting professor in several leading research centers.

In 2007, Dr. Eshdat was nominated as Israel’s Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, thus directing the public agricultural R&D system in Israel. He was also involved in mediating the worldwide activity of Israel international agricultural research and served in the governing boards of several European Research Area Networks (ERA-Nets), EU Joint program Initiative on agriculture, food security and climate change (FACCE-JPI), the USA-Israel bi-national fund for agricultural research (BARD), and was the national delegate and Member of SCAR (the EU Standing Committee for Agricultural Research) (2007-13).

Currently, Dr. Eshdat acts as consultant to BioHarvest Ltd., Rehovot, Israel and to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development; and Expert, on behalf of Israel Governmental Innovation Authority, to the European Framework Program Committee for Horizon 2020 Societal Challenge 2 Bioeconomy [Food Security, Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry, Marine and Maritime and Inland Water Research and the Bioeconomy, European Commission – DG Research & Innovation]. He also active as Emeritus Principal Scientist (“Research Professor”) at the Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, Volcani Center, Israel.

Phillip C. Ginsberg, DO, JD.Dr. Phillip Ginsberg was the Chairman of the Division of Urology at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia for 25 years and is currently Clinical Professor of Urology at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He was also the Urology Residency Program Director at Einstein, from 1991 to 2019.  After graduating from Medical School, he completed a general surgical residency and urological surgical residency at the Albert Einstein Medical Center.  He had additional training in urologic oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York and in pediatric urology at the Children's' Hospital of Philadelphia.  

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He has served as the President of the Medical Staff at Einstein, having chaired the institution wide quality performance committee for the five years prior.  He is past president of the National Osteopathic Urology Discipline.  

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As Clinical Professor of Urology, he actively participates in the education of medical students from both PCOM and Jefferson Medical College.  He is a member of the American Urological Association, the Mid-Atlantic AUA, the Pennsylvania Urological Association and the Philadelphia Urology Society. In addition, he maintains membership in the American College of Physician Executives, the American College of Legal Medicine and the Philadelphia Medical Society.  Dr. Ginsberg has authored several book chapters and multiple scientific articles which have been published in peer reviewed journals.  He is in the private practice of Urology, with offices in Northeast Philadelphia, and at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

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Dr. Ginsberg graduated from the Temple University School of Law in 1995 and is a licensed Pennsylvania attorney, practicing part time in Healthcare Law. He is a member of the American Bar Association and the Healthcare Law section of the ABA and a Fellow in the American College of Legal Medicine.

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Dr. Ginsberg enjoys tennis, skiing, sailing and golf, but mostly enjoys the company of his wife, Beth, daughter, Rachel, son, Joshua and two grandchildren, Hudson and London.

Dr. David Josephson, is attending surgeon and Clinical Division Chief of Urology at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.  Dr. Josephson earned his MD from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed a residency in urology at University of Southern California.  He subsequently completed a urologic oncology and reconstructive urology fellowship at USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. He subsequently had fellowship training in advanced laparoscopy and robotic surgery at City of Hope. He is a member of the Society of Urologic Oncology, American Urologic Association, and American College of Surgeons and past president of the Los Angeles Urologic Society. 

Dr. Brianne Kent (PhD) is the Canada Research Chair in Translational Neuroscience and Dementia and Assistant Professor at Simon Fraser University. She also holds an appointed position on the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Kent trained as a neuroscientist at Yale University, University of Cambridge, University of British Columbia, and Harvard Medical School. She is an expert in translational methodology, bridging scientific discovery with clinical applications. Her research focuses on early detection and novel therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease and has been supported by funding agencies in the US, Canada, and UK, including the Gates Cambridge Trust, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and Canada Foundation for Innovation.

Treating people in Georgia for more than three decades, James M. Libby, MD, is now sharing his expertise at Urology of Greater Atlanta. Dr. Libby received his MD degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston Texas. He served two years in general surgery at North Shore University Hospital and completed his urology residency and research fellowship in urologic oncology at Baylor College of Medicine.

He is certified by the American Board of Urology and has been in private practice in Atlanta since 1987 as one of the most sought-after urologists in the state of Georgia.  He is past president of the Atlanta Urologic Society and Baylor College of Medicine Alumni Association. He is a founding member of Urology of Greater Atlanta, is affiliated with Northside and Piedmont Henry Hospitals. He's been published in numerous medical journals throughout his career and does a lot of professional speaking.

He is married with 4 children, 3 grandchildren and enjoys competitive tennis and spinning.

Angel S. Muntaner Morales, MD is President at Puerto Rico Primary Care MSO Inc. and has been a general healthcare practitioner for more than three decades. As the former President of TCS Inc. Consulting and Chief Medical Officer of the Castellana Health Group. Dr. Morales was an executive leader in business development and healthcare modernization. He is a member of the Board of Directors at E-Health Partner Inc. and Costa Este Medical Group, and received his MD from Universidad Central Del Este School of Medicine.  

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Dr. Ritch is a fellowship-trained Urologic Oncologist, and currently an Associate Professor of Urology at the University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine. His clinical interests include the treatment of prostate, bladder, kidney and testicular cancer. His research interests are in prostate and bladder cancer. He oversees the institutional non-muscle invasive bladder cancer database at the University of Miami and has conducted a randomized controlled pilot trial investigating the role of nutrition intervention in patients undergoing radical cystectomy. He also has active research studies on prostate cancer in Afro-Caribbean men. He is a member of the AUA Guideline Panel for the Management of Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer and is the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) representative to the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer (CoC). He did his undergraduate studies at Duke University and then matriculated at the University of Chicago, where he obtained a joint degree in medicine (MD) and business (MBA) from the Pritzker School of Medicine and Booth School of Business. He then completed his residency in Urology at Columbia University Medical Center/NY Presbyterian Hospital followed by a two-year fellowship in Urologic Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

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Dr. Sonn is a urologic oncologist who specializes in prostate and kidney cancer. He has a particular interest in cancer imaging, MRI-Ultrasound fusion targeted prostate biopsy, prostate cancer focal therapy, and robotic surgery for prostate and kidney cancer. His research is focused on developing novel, imaging-based technologies to improve diagnosis and treatment of urologic cancers. He is a member of Stanford Bio-X, the Stanford Cancer Institute, and Associate Member of the Canary Center at Stanford for Cancer Early Detection. He is also a member of the NCCN Prostate Cancer Early Detection panel.

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