A Window “Behind the Scenes” in Surgical Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine | Drs. Wayne, Bentrem, and Mahvi (l to r) |
At an intimate gathering on Thursday, January 21, a small group of patients, donors, and friends of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine met to learn about cutting-edge research and technological breakthroughs in the field of surgical oncology. Led by emcee, Nathaniel J. Soper, MD, Loyal and Edith Davis Professor and chair of the Department of Surgery, the lecture featured speakers Jeffrey Wayne, MD, associate professor of surgery, David Mahvi, MD, James R. Hines, MD, Professor of Surgery and chief of the Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery, and David Bentrem, MD, MS, Harold L. and Margaret N. Method Research Professor of Surgery. Highlighting the varied talents of the Division of Gastrointestinal and Oncologic Surgery, Drs. Wayne, Mahvi, and Bentrem each introduced unique topics for discussion. Describing his interest in the multidisciplinary management of melanoma, soft tissue sarcoma, and upper gastrointestinal tumors, Dr. Wayne spoke on an innovative multimodality treatment approach for cancer patients, in which surgery, oncology, and radiation oncology are combined to improve outcomes. In his own presentation, Dr. Mahvi discussed the translation of academic pursuits into medical innovations. He described the importance of entrepreneurship in research, as well as his success piloting NUvention, an academic program in which Northwestern medical, engineering, law, and business students work in collaborative teams to develop and market products that satisfy needs in healthcare. Dr. Bentrem then presented a third lecture focused on new research strategies being implemented to improve outcomes for patients with surgically resectable pancreatic cancer. As tumors of this type are particularly hard to diagnose, much less predict, Dr. Bentrem discussed the importance of improved stage-specific treatment, systemic therapies, and understanding of the tumor microenvironment. In closing, the physicians opened the floor for a lively Q&A session in which guests expressed their interests in and questions about particular elements of the presentations and research in general at Feinberg. By: Andrea Arntsen-Harris | 
