Upendra Parvathaneni, MBBS, FRANZCR, Joined UTMB on Nov. 1
With a wealth of experience delivering lifesaving cancer therapies, and with expertise in all types of radiation modalities, UTMB’s new Chair of Radiation Oncology, Dr. Upendra Parvathaneni, has not forgotten the reason he chose his specialty.
It was his understanding of the disproportionate affects of head and neck cancer on underserved communities, and his desire to bring cutting-edge treatments to these patients. This goal continues to guide his career, leading him to UTMB and the valuable opportunity to expand cancer care services throughout the region.
“With this program in a rebuild phase, this is an opportunity to shape it so that we can serve the community, so that patients from all corners have excellent access to high-quality radiation treatment technology and research,” Dr. Parvathaneni says. “This program is going to benefit a lot of those underserved populations in this area.”
Prior to arriving at UTMB on Nov. 1, Dr. Parvathaneni established his practice over the past two decades at the University of Washington, where he focused on head and neck cancers and skin cancers, including rare conditions like Merkel cell carcinoma.
Under his leadership, his team modernized the historic UW neutron program to provide extremely conformal neutron therapy, thus reducing toxicity. He says severe toxicity was always the main concern with neutron treatment, which is otherwise a highly effective therapy for hard-to-treat cancers.
He calls his long career at UW a “happy accident.” After completing his radiation oncology residency training in Sydney, Australia, he took the opportunity to move to Houston for an advanced fellowship training in head and neck cancers at MD Anderson Cancer Center, and to learn about the state-of-the-art IMRT (Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy) technology that was at the time limited to very select centers in the world. He was set to move back to Australia when he received an offer from the Chair of Radiation Oncology at UW, and could not say no.
Nearly two decades later, his experience at UW has prepared him for the tremendous opportunity that UTMB presents. Dr. Parvathaneni has a vision to grow the department to about 20 to 25 faculty members in the next 5 to 10 years, and to establish dedicated cancer centers on Galveston Island as well as on the mainland to serve all of the UTMB population.
He is also committed to procuring state-of-the-art equipment and a high-quality research program, building a dynamic department with strengths in UTMB’s clinical care, research, education, and innovation missions.
Some of his immediate goals include growing business for benign disease treatment, specifically arthritis, and establishing a robust cancer service line. He also encourages his physician colleagues to consider referring to Radiation Oncology whenever opportunities arise, offering assurance that patients will be well taken care of in a timely manner. He is confident that patients who get treated by UTMB Radiation Oncology would become the greatest advocates for the reputation and growth of the program.
Dr. Parvathaneni’s blueprint is for a program that will distinguish UTMB from other options for cancer care – not only for patients, but for providers and trainees as well.
“Faculty or resident applicants should feel attracted to working here, even despite the other major centers in this area,” he says. “We want to offer an environment and opportunities to fulfill their professional mission.”
“Happy patients usually mean happy staff and faculty, and vice versa. I would like to build a department where the staff and faculty feel very motivated to contribute meaningfully to our cause of caring for our patients while we cure them – and feel rewarded in the process. Our motto is ‘To Care and to Cure’ (and have fun doing so).” |