NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sarah Cannon announced today the appointment of three new research faculty to its drug development programs in Nashville, Tenn. and Denver, Colo. Saurin Chokshi, MD, from Yale University, and Meredith McKean, MD, from MD Anderson Cancer Center, will be joining Sarah Cannon Research Institute at Tennessee Oncology in Nashville this summer. Shiraj Sen, MD, from MD Anderson Cancer Center, will be a part of Sarah Cannon Research Institute at HealthONE in Denver.
Dr. Chokshi will be focusing on GI cancers and early phase clinical trials under the leadership of Axel Grothey, MD, who was recently announced as the Director of Sarah Cannon’s GI Cancer Research Program. Prior to joining Sarah Cannon, Dr. Chokshi was a Hematology-Oncology Fellow at Yale-New Haven Hospital, Yale School of Medicine, where he focused on studying treatments for a variety of GI and other tumor sites. He received a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, and his Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science and Philosophy from Vanderbilt University.
Dr. McKean’s expertise is centered on melanoma, and she will be taking on that cancer program while leading investigational therapy trials. She recently completed her fellowship in Hematology-Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. McKean received a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health from the University of Iowa, and Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry from Iowa State University.
“Physician leadership is critical to our continued excellence in cancer clinical research,” said David Spigel, MD, Chief Scientific Officer for Sarah Cannon. “Recruiting the best talent to lead our programs and trials is a key part of our success.”
Dr. Sen, who will be helping to expand Sarah Cannon’s drug development program in Denver, has expertise in the area of GI cancers and studying promising new agents. He recently completed his fellowship in Hematology-Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He received a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and Bachelor of Arts from University of Texas at Austin.
“The opportunities to expand our program in Denver are substantial,” said Gerald Falchook, MD, Director of Drug Development for Sarah Cannon Research Institute at HealthONE. “There are many novel therapies in need of development and a large number of cancer patients seeking new treatment options. Dr. Sen will be a welcome addition to our team.”
The new faculty members will also collaborate with Sarah Cannon investigators across its network of research sites. Sarah Cannon serves thousands of patients annually in clinical trials, including through its drug development units in Nashville, Tenn., Sarasota, Fla., Denver, Colo., and London, England. As the first community-based drug development program to be established in the United States, Sarah Cannon has grown to become a global leader in early phase research as well as in community-based cancer care. The organization has conducted more than 300 first-in-human studies and has been a clinical trial leader in the majority of approved cancer therapies over the last decade.
About Sarah Cannon Research Institute
Sarah Cannon Research Institute is the research arm of HCA Healthcare’s global cancer institute, Sarah Cannon. For 25 years, the organization has focused on advancing therapies for patients and has become one of the world’s leading clinical research organizations conducting community-based clinical trials throughout the United States and United Kingdom. Sarah Cannon’s network of strategic sites includes more than 275 physicians who engage in research. The organization has led more than 300 first-in-man clinical trials since its inception in 1993, and has been a clinical trial leader in the majority of approved cancer therapies over the last 10 years. Additionally, Sarah Cannon offers management, regulatory, and other research support services for drug development and industry sponsors as well as strategic investigator sites through its contract research organization (CRO), Sarah Cannon Development Innovations. For more information, visit sarahcannon.com.
