Participating Institutions & Investigators

Dr. Neeraj Agarwal is a Professor of Medicine, and a Presidential Endowed Chair of Cancer Research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI), University of Utah. He also directs the Genitourinary Oncology (GU) Program, and the Center of Investigational Therapeutics (CIT) at the HCI.

He is an internationally recognized physician scientist in the field of genitourinary cancers. He is the overall study chair of multiple Phase I/II and Phase III trials and serves as a steering committee member of numerous other trials. Dr. Agarwal has received SWOG Young Investigator Award, the William D. Odell Young Investigator Award, and a National Cancer Institute Cancer Clinical Investigator Team Leadership Award. After receiving his medical training at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, he completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in geriatric medicine at the University of Iowa, followed by a hematology-oncology fellowship at HCI.

Dr. Agarwal has authored more than 350 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He serves as a panel member for the NCCN guideline committees for bladder and kidney cancers. He is an advisor to the Oncology Drug Advisory Committee and the United States Food and Drug Administration and leads early therapeutics in the SWOG genitourinary cancers committee. He holds numerous scientific communications leadership roles, including chief editor of the ASCO Daily News, specialty editor for ASCO’s cancer.net site, and editorial board member of several journals, including Journal of Clinical Oncology and European Urology. He also serves as a member of the ASCO Genitourinary Cancers Advisory Panel. Recently, Dr. Agarwal was appointed as the Senior Director for Clinical Research Innovation, directly reporting to the cancer center director at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

About the Huntsman Cancer Center

Huntsman Cancer Institute’s mission is to understand cancer from its beginnings, to use that knowledge in the creation and improvement of cancer treatments, to relieve the suffering of cancer patients, and to provide education about cancer risk, prevention, and care. Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah is a nationally recognized research center and treatment hospital in Salt Lake City. We serve patients with all types of cancer, who come from throughout the Mountain West, including Utah and parts of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. Our doctors and scientists include world-renowned experts dedicated to the highest quality standards and driven by the commitment to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. Learn more at:  healthcare.utah.edu/huntsmancancerinstitute/

Dr. Leonard Appleman is a board-certified medical oncologist at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, specializing in genitourinary malignancies including kidney, bladder, prostate, and testicular cancers. He serves as Director of the Genitourinary Cancer Disease Section and is a key investigator in the Cancer Therapeutics Program at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Appleman’s research focuses on experimental cancer therapeutics and immunotherapy. He has led numerous clinical trials, including studies on autologous dendritic cell vaccines, high-dose interleukin-2, and targeted therapies for renal cell carcinoma. His work has contributed to FDA approvals of key agents in metastatic prostate cancer.  With a Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from NYU and fellowship training at Dana-Farber/Partners CancerCare, Dr. Appleman combines deep scientific expertise with a commitment to advancing personalized cancer care through translational research and clinical innovation.

About the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, UPMC is a world-renowned international health care leader — pioneering groundbreaking research, treatments, and clinical care. UPMC operates 40 hospitals and more than 700 doctors’ offices and outpatient centers. We serve people throughout western and central Pennsylvania, Maryland, New York, and around the globe.  Learn more at: https://www.upmc.com/about/why-upmc/story

Dr. Jason Brown is a board-certified medical oncologist specializing in genitourinary cancers, with a clinical focus on urothelial carcinoma. He serves as the medical oncology lead for urothelial cancer at University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center and is a faculty member at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.  Dr. Brown’s research centers on biomarker development and early-phase clinical trials. His scientific background includes work on immune predictive biomarkers and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, with prior research conducted under Dr. David Rimm and Dr. Arul Chinnaiyan. He has investigated metformin as a cancer stem cell agent and explored cancer-specific circular RNA during his oncology fellowship.

About Case Comprehensive Cancer Center – Case Western Reserve University
The Case Comprehensive Cancer Center (Case CCC) is an NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center that unites Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, and Cleveland Clinic in a collaborative effort to advance cancer research and care. Located in Cleveland, Ohio, Case CCC serves a diverse population across 15 counties in Northeast Ohio. The center supports innovative, investigator-initiated clinical trials and translational research programs in genitourinary oncology and beyond. With a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration, education, and community engagement, Case CCC is a driving force in reducing the cancer burden through prevention, early detection, and cutting-edge treatment strategies

Learn more at:  https://case.edu/about/

Dr. Mitchell Gross is the Senior Director, Clinical Translation Program at the Ellison Institute and an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. His overall research interest focuses on applying modern techniques relating to the study of genes and proteins (genomics and proteomics) to the clinical problems faced in treating patients with prostate cancer. A particular interest relates to the androgen receptor and relating proteins and pathways as key driving forces behind the development and treatment of prostate cancer. As a medical oncologist, his clinical activities are focused on therapeutic clinical trials incorporating both molecularly targeted and conventional therapies to the care of patients with prostate cancer. He serves as primary investigator on many multi-center phase I and II clinical trials. 

Dr. Gross has earned degrees from the University of California, San Diego (BA), Baylor College of Medicine in Houston (MD), and the University of California, Los Angeles (PhD in Molecular Biology). He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the UCLA Center for the Health Sciences.

Matthew I. Milowsky, M.D. is The George Gabriel and Frances Gable Villere Distinguished Professor of Bladder and Genitourinary Cancer Research, Vice Chief for Research and Section Chief of the Genitourinary Oncology Service. in the Division of Oncology at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill. He also serves as a Program Leader for Clinical Research and Co-Director of the Urologic Oncology Program at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Milowsky is a medical oncologist and clinical and translational researcher. His clinical interest is in the treatment of patients with genitourinary cancers with a focus on the care of patients with advanced bladder cancer. His research involves the development of novel therapies for patients with urologic cancers with a particular interest in the design of clinical trials that utilize immunotherapy as well as those that use an integrated genomics approach to characterize urothelial cancers for genetic alterations that may represent targets for novel agents. He chairs the BCAN Bladder Cancer Genomics Consortium (BCGC) and serves as Principal Investigator for BCAN’s Urothelial Cancer-GENOmic Analysis to iMprove Patient Outcomes and rEsearch study (UC-GENOME), a large-scale genomically-driven bladder cancer study in partnership with eight academic medical centers recognized for their expertise in bladder cancer to foster collaborative translational research to better understand the biology of bladder cancer and develop new therapies.

About the UNC Lineberger Cancer Center

One of the leading cancer centers in the nation, UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center is located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. As one of only 41 National Cancer Institutes, UNC Lineberger was rated as exceptional – the highest category – by the National Cancer Institute. The center brings together some of the most exceptional physicians and scientists in the country to investigate and improve the prevention, early detection and treatment of cancer. With research that spans the spectrum from the laboratory to the bedside to the community, UNC Lineberger faculty work to understand the causes of cancer at the genetic and environmental levels, to conduct groundbreaking laboratory research, and to translate findings into pioneering and innovative clinical trials. Learn more at unclineberger.org

Dr. Mamta Parikh is a board-certified medical oncologist at UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, specializing in the treatment of genitourinary cancers including bladder, kidney, prostate, and testicular malignancies. She serves as Medical Director of the Genitourinary Malignancies Program and is an Associate Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology.  Dr. Parikh earned her medical degree and completed her residency and fellowship training at UC Davis Medical Center. Her research focuses on improving outcomes in genitourinary cancers through clinical trials, with a particular interest in enhancing the effectiveness of immunotherapy in bladder cancer. She is actively involved in investigator-initiated studies and national research consortia.

About UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
The UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center, located in Sacramento, California, is an NCI-designated center committed to advancing cancer care through cutting-edge research, multidisciplinary collaboration, and patient-centered treatment. The center offers a robust portfolio of early-phase clinical trials and translational research programs, with a strong emphasis on genitourinary malignancies. Its team of nationally recognized investigators integrates precision medicine and immunotherapy into clinical practice, driving innovation in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics. UC Davis is a vital contributor to AURIC’s mission to accelerate progress in urologic oncology through collaborative, high-impact research. Learn more at: https://health.ucdavis.edu/cancer/about/welcome-message

Dr. Melissa Andrea Reimers, MD is a board-certified medical oncologist specializing in genitourinary oncology. Dr. Reimers has 10 years of experience, and her specialties include Internal Medicine, Oncology. Her research interests are in clinical trial development with a focus on advanced prostate cancer and bladder cancer, kidney cancer, chemotherapy and immunotherapy incorporating precision medicine into clinical trial design. 

Dr. Reimers received her Medical Degree from St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO. She did her residency in Internal Medicine at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill and her Fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI. Dr. Reimers is currently Assistant Professor, Medicine Division of Medical Oncology at Washington University in St Louis.

About Washington University (in St. Louis)

Washington University oncologists at the Siteman Cancer Center devote their efforts to preventing, diagnosing and treating cancer.

• Medical oncologists treat patients with medications, including chemotherapy, in outpatient and inpatient settings for nearly all types of cancers.
• Bone marrow transplant specialists provide the most advanced treatment for patients suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and aplastic anemia.

Many of our oncologists have been named among the Best Doctors in America. Our multidisciplinary team of oncologists, along with our nurses and caregivers, have the expertise and experience you or your loved one will need during every phase of cancer treatment.  

The Washington University Advantage:  An added value of cancer treatment at Washington University is the possibility of enrollment in clinical trials. Patients may participate in new treatment protocols of several national and regional multidisciplinary cooperative oncology groups, institutional multidisciplinary therapeutic protocols and studies with investigational agents sponsored by pharmaceutical companies.

Dr. Sarmad Sadeghi earned his medical degree at Tehran University of Medical Sciences. He has a Master of Science degree (MS) in Health Information Sciences and a Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Public Health Management and Policy Sciences from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston.

He completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston and the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He completed his hematology/oncology fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. Dr. Sadeghi joined the faculty at the division of oncology of University of Southern California in 2013 and has a clinical and research focus in genitourinary malignancies, specifically bladder, kidney and prostate cancers.

Dr. Sadeghi is the study chair and principal investigator of a number of multicenter clinical trials and is also an active member of SWOG cooperative group and the California Cancer Consortium. Dr. Sadeghi is well published with several original articles and abstracts in peer reviewed journals and international meetings.

About USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center

The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, located in Los Angeles, is a major regional and national resource for cancer research, treatment, prevention and education. More than 200 basic and population scientists, physicians from the faculty of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and several USC professional schools/departments and the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences who are members of the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center investigate the complex origins and progression of cancer, develop prevention strategies and search for cures. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has designated the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center as one of the nation’s 41 comprehensive cancer centers, a select group of institutions providing leadership in cancer treatment, research, prevention and education. USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center has held this designation since 1973, when it was named as one of the first eight comprehensive cancer centers. Learn more at uscnorriscancer.usc.edu.

Umang Swami is an Assistant Professor in Department of Oncology at Huntsman Cancer Institute with a focus on genitourinary cancers. He completed his Medical School from Sawai Man Singh Medical College, India. Thereafter he worked as a Visiting Scientist at Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center, NY and collaborated on phase I studies of novel drugs and regimens for patients with refractory or advanced solid tumors. He did his residency training in Internal Medicine at St. Barnabas Hospital, NY, Hematology-Oncology fellowship from University of Iowa and completed MS in Clinical Investigations from College of Public Health at University of Iowa.

He has published more than 60 articles in peer reviewed journals and has presented his research at various international conferences including ASCO, AACR and ASBMT. He is a reviewer and editor of multiple journals and member of various professional societies like ASCO, AACR, ASH and ACP. He serves on the ASCO guideline panels for systemic therapy in melanoma, management of immune-related adverse events and Multi-Site Guideline Advisory Group. He is a current member of Institutional Review Board at University of Utah. He was also a member of transfusion subcommittee and Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center Career Enhancement Advisory Committee at University of Iowa. He has mentored medical students, residents and fellows interested in oncology research.

About the Huntsman Cancer Center

Huntsman Cancer Institute’s mission is to understand cancer from its beginnings, to use that knowledge in the creation and improvement of cancer treatments, to relieve the suffering of cancer patients, and to provide education about cancer risk, prevention, and care. Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah is a nationally recognized research center and treatment hospital in Salt Lake City. We serve patients with all types of cancer, who come from throughout the Mountain West, including Utah and parts of Idaho, Montana, Nevada, and Wyoming. Our doctors and scientists include world-renowned experts dedicated to the highest quality standards and driven by the commitment to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. Learn more at:  healthcare.utah.edu/huntsmancancerinstitute/

Dr. Wulff is an assistant professor of medicine in the divisions of medical oncology and palliative medicine at the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas.

Dr. Wulff attended Duke University School of Medicine and earned her Doctorate of Medicine in 2010. Dr. Wulff then completed her internship and residency in internal medicine and her fellowships in medical oncology and hospice and palliative medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. Following completion of her training, she joined the faculty at the University of Kansas, where her areas of specialization are in genitourinary medical oncology and outpatient palliative medicine for patients with cancer.

Dr. Wulff has separate oncology and palliative care practices. In her oncology practice, she treats bladder, kidney, prostate, and testicular cancer using the most innovative therapies and technologies, including clinical trials. She collaborates closely with colleagues in urologic oncology and radiation oncology in order to create a data-driven and patient-centered treatment plan. In her palliative care practice, she treats patients with any cancer diagnosis, helping support them and promote a good quality of life while they are going through cancer treatment.

About the University of Kansas Cancer Center

The University of Kansas Cancer Center is transforming cancer research and clinical care by linking an innovative approach to drug discovery, delivery and development to a nationally-accredited patient care program. The partnership includes cancer research and healthcare professionals associated with the University of Kansas Medical Center and The University of Kansas Health System; the University of Kansas, Lawrence; The Stowers Institute for Medical Research; Children’s Mercy Hospital; and in partnership with members of the Midwest Cancer Alliance. Learn more at: www.kucancercenter.org