The Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute recently announced the promotion of two physician scientists: Elisabeth Heath, MD, FACP, and Ulka Vaishampayan, MD.
Elisabeth Heath, MD, FACP
Dr. Heath will lead the Genitourinary Oncology Multidisciplinary Team at Karmanos Cancer Institute. She will also continue to serve as Medical Director of the Infusion Center and Leader of the Prostate Cancer Research Team at Karmanos. She has been an active clinical and scientific member of Karmanos since 2003 and is Professor of Oncology at Wayne State University School of Medicine.
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 ASCO and is the principal investigator for a Department of Defense grant in the nationally recognized Prostate Clinical Trials Cancer Consortium.
Ulka Vaishampayan, MD
Dr. Vaishampayan is now 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 2 years. She will also serve as the new Division Chief for Solid Tumor Oncology within the Department of Oncology at Wayne State University 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 and is Professor of Oncology at Wayne State University.
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 ASCO.
“We are extremely grateful to have Dr. Heath and Dr. Vaishampayan as part of our team of experts at Karmanos,” said Gerald Bepler, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Karmanos. “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 lifesaving cancer therapies that will lead to the next standard of cancer care.” ■
