Maine cancer genomics initiative: Leadership

Dr. Rueter is the Medical Director for MCGI. He joined JAX for this position in August 2016. Dr. Rueter came to JAX from Eastern Maine Medical Center Cancer Care (EMMC) in Brewer, ME, where he was the medical director for EMMC’s Translational Oncology Program and the EMMC Biobank. He has been a hematologist/oncologist at EMMC Cancer Care since 2010, and a member of the JAX adjunct faculty since 2012. Prior to joining JAX, Dr. Rueter collaborated with several JAX investigators and technicians on developing new approaches to treating cancers while advancing translational research at EMMC.

After graduating from medical school in Berlin, Germany, Rueter completed his residency in internal medicine at Tulane University and fellowship training in hematology/oncology at the University of Pennsylvania.

Email: jens.rueter@jax.org

Phone: 207-288-6340 t | 207-299-0724 m 

Petra Helbig is the Clinical Research Manager for MCGI. She joined JAX for this position in February 2017 after eight years as a Clinical Research Coordinator and Research Program Coordinator for Eastern Maine Medical Center Cancer Care. Prior to her employment at Eastern Maine Medical Center, she worked as a Clinical Research Associate for the radiation oncology department at Regional Health Rapid City Hospital in Rapid City, SD. She has been involved in all aspects of oncology human subjects research since 2003.

Her education includes a degree in Psychology from the University of Mannheim, Germany, as well as a Certified Clinical Research Professional Certification (CCRP) from Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) and coursework in Project Management from Villanova University.

Email: petra.helbig@jax.org

Phone: 207-288-6316

Jen Bourne is the Program Manager for MCGI. A colleague of The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) since 2013, she was a driving force in establishing processes for Operations and Regulatory Compliance for the Clinical Genomics Laboratory at The Jackson Laboratory for Genomic Medicine in Farmington, CT. Prior to joining JAX, she worked in clinical testing facilities for over 13 years where she held positions related to process creation in both scientific and IT capacities. Her other career experience has included clinical laboratory test development, creation of programs to report business Key Performance Indicators (KPI), management of collaborative service agreements and operations processing for clinical trials. Her education includes a B.S. in molecular and cellular biology and an M.S. in genetics, both from University of Connecticut, as well as a certificate in Project Management from Rutgers University.

Email: jennifer.bourne@jax.org

Phone: 207-288-6113

Dr. Arbour is an assistant professor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center where she is a member of the Thoracic Oncology Service. She is board certified in medical oncology and takes a special interest in lung cancer and precision oncology. She is actively involved in developing and overseeing clinical trials of molecular targeted therapies in non-small cell lung cancer. Her research interests also include the use of molecular testing to evaluate for potential prognostic and predictive effects of co-occurring somatic genomic alterations in lung cancer. Dr. Arbour received her M.D. from Cornell University, completed her residency at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Cornell, and her fellowship training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

Professor Ashley’s career in cancer research dates more than two decades. He is credentialed in both pediatric and adult neuro-oncology practice, and this has been the focus of his efforts in translational research and leadership. His peer-reviewed publication record is diverse and includes laboratory-based cancer research, clinical trials, as well as public-health and psycho-oncology research. His primary research focus is on the immunology, epigenetics and genetics of brain tumors. His achievements in research have led to change in practice in the care of both children and adults with brain tumors.

Ashley is highly regarded for his work, as evidenced by numerous awards and invitations to plenary sessions and symposia of international standing. He has been the principal investigator of a number of important national and international studies both clinical and pre-clinical. He is recognized as a senior figure and opinion leader in academic medicine nationally and internationally.

Dr. Church is a board-certified Pediatric Pathologist and Molecular Genetic Pathologist.  She is the Associate Director of the Laboratory for Molecular Pediatric Pathology (LaMPP) at Boston Children’s Hospital, and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School.  She has participated in several high-impact studies using molecular profiling to support the care of children with cancer, including the iCat study, Profile study, and the ongoing multi-institutional GAIN consortium study.

Dr. Do practices in the Early Drug Development Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and oversees the care of patients enrolled in early phase clinical trials. Dr. Do received her M.D. from George Washington University (GWU), followed by a residency at GWU, and a fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.

Dr. DuBois completed medical school and pediatric training at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).  He completed pediatric oncology training at Dana-Farber / Boston Children’s Hospital and obtained a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the Harvard School of Public Health.  He is currently an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.  He is the Director of Experimental Therapeutics at Dana-Farber / Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center where he leads a program designed to bring new targeted therapies to children with cancer.     

Dr. DuBois leads an active clinical and translational research program focused on patients with advanced neuroblastoma and Ewing sarcoma.  He conducts clinical trials of novel targeted agents relevant to these diseases, including national phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials.  He also studies new biomarkers that improve our understanding of the biology of pediatric solid tumors and of the pharmacodynamic effects of targeted therapies. 

Dr. DuBois has served on a number of national committees, including the Children’s Oncology Group (COG) Neuroblastoma Steering Committee, COG Bone Tumor Committee, the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Scientific Program Committee, and the US FDA Pediatric Oncology Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC). 

Dr. Del Vecchio Fitz has extensive experience in translational cancer research and clinical genomics. She is currently the owner and Principal at Precision Oncology Consulting, LLC and Director of Life Sciences Program Development at the Institute for Digital Engineering and Life Sciences in Portland, ME. Previously at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, she led initiatives to build precision medicine software platforms, including a computational tool for matching patient-specific genomics profiles to clinical trials. She has also worked as Principal Scientist at N-of-One, Inc., providing clinical interpretation of molecular tests in order to improve treatment options and outcomes for cancer patients. Dr. Del Vecchio Fitz grew up in Maine and earned her Bachelor’s degree in biology from Bowdoin College. She completed her Ph.D. in cancer biology and Masters of Science in Medicine at Stanford University, and postdoctoral training at the Whitehead Institute of MIT.

Dr. Christopher Gocke is an Associate Professor of Pathology and Oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is Director of the Division of Molecular Pathology, Deputy Director (Vice Chairman) of Personalized Medicine for the Department of Pathology, and Co-director of Johns Hopkins Genomics.

He received his B.A. in chemistry from Princeton University and his M.D. in 1985 from Rutgers Medical School. His residency training in pathology was at the University of Rochester and Stanford University, where he was Chief Resident. He completed a fellowship in pathology at Stanford.

Dr. Gocke has co-authored over 125 peer-reviewed publications in the area of cancer diagnostics. He is a past councilor on the Program Directors’ Council of the Association of Molecular Pathology and a member of the NCI’s Investigational Drug Steering Committee. He is Co-principle Investigator on two NIH research project cooperative agreements. He is board certified in Molecular Genetic Pathology and Anatomic Pathology.

Dr. Khasraw is a Medical Oncologist and Neurooncologist at Duke's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center.  He is also the Deputy Director of the newly established Center for Cancer Immunotherapy, tasked to speed up clinical research and translation for scientists across all departments at Duke who have made discoveries that show promise for developing new immunotherapies.

Dr. Khasraw has trained and worked in several countries, he received his MBChB from Salahaddin University, Kurdistan, Iraq, followed by an M.D. from Groningen University, the Netherlands. He moved to Australia and completed his medical oncology training at Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney and subsequently completed an additional fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. 

Prior to joining Duke in September, 2019, Mustafa Khasraw worked as a medical oncologist in Sydney, Australia where he was also as a Clinical Lead at the Australian National Health & Medical Research Council Clinical Trial Centre at The University of Sydney where he has an ongoing honorary professorship in oncology. 

He has a leading role in several clinical and translational programs and leads clinical trials with significant laboratory collaborations. He is interested in innovative trials designed to improve outcome of cancer patients. He is lead principal investigator on phase I, II and III multi-centre clinical trials for a number of pharmaceutical and academic groups. 

He is a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians as well as being an Elected Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Lon, UK). 

Lincoln Nadauld, M.D., Ph.D. is the Executive Director of Precision Medicine and Precision Genomics at Intermountain Healthcare, an integrated healthcare system located in the Intermountain West. Dr. Nadauld oversees the clinical implementation of genomic cancer medicine across Intermountain Healthcare’s 22 hospitals and 180 physician clinics.

Dr. Nadauld completed his undergraduate education at Brigham Young University and went on to complete combined M.D./Ph.D. and clinical training at the University of Utah. He completed additional clinical training in Medical Oncology at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in solid tumor genomics. While at Stanford, Dr. Nadauld received the prestigious Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and a Career Development Award from the National Cancer Institute. He remains on the research faculty at Stanford University School of Medicine focusing on cancer genomics and personalized cancer medicine. His work has been published extensively in journals such as Nature Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and Genome Medicine. He also serves on the board of directors of the Gastric Cancer Foundation and regularly reviews grant applications on behalf of the Department of Defense. 

In 2016, Dr. Nadauld participated in the Precision Medicine Initiative Summit and roundtables at the White House with former President Barack Obama. He also attended former Vice President Joe Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Summit, where the Oncology Precision Network (OPeN), spearheaded by Dr. Nadauld, was mentioned among the Vice President’s remarks. OPeN is a consortium of healthcare partners working to advance data-sharing in precision medicine, including genomic information and outcomes.

Dr. Nadauld is married with five children, and enjoys attending their many activities and events, water sports, fishing and other athletic pursuits. 

Dr. Park attended The University of Chicago for his A.B. degree, followed by dual training at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine where he received both his M.D. and Ph.D. degrees in 1995. Dr. Park then trained in internal medicine and hematology/oncology at The Hospital of The University of Pennsylvania prior to coming to Johns Hopkins where he completed a post-doctoral fellowship in cancer genetics in the laboratory of Drs. Ken Kinzler and Bert Vogelstein. In 2002, Dr. Park joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor of Oncology at The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins where he is developing new therapeutics and diagnostics for breast cancer using genetic based approaches. He is currently Professor of Oncology in the Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program at Johns Hopkins and the Associate Director of the Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Training Program and Associate Director for Research Training and Education.

Dr. Ryan Sullivan is board certified in Medical Oncology and an Attending Physician in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).  He attended Colby College for undergraduate studies and then matriculated to the University of Connecticut Medical School, graduating in 2001.  He first trained in Internal Medicine at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA and then at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Hematology/Oncology.  At the MGH, he is the Associate Director of the Melanoma Program in the MGH Cancer Center and a member of the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapy. Dr. Sullivan is an active clinical and translational investigator whose main areas of interest are the development of novel molecular targeted and immunotherapeutic combinations for malignant melanoma, the translation of promising preclinical findings into early stage clinical trials, and the development of predictive biomarkers for these investigational as well as standard treatment approaches.  In addition, he has an active interest in improving the prediction, through the development of blood-based biomarkers, and management of immune checkpoint inhibitor toxicity.

Prof Thomas is Head of the Cancer Theme at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and Director of The Kinghorn Cancer Centre.  He is a NHMRC Principal Research Fellow and medical oncologist whose focus is on the application of genomic technologies to the understanding and management of cancer.  Prof Thomas founded the Australasian Sarcoma Study Group, a national research organization, and established Australia’s leading adolescent and young adult cancer unit at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.  Dr Thomas leads the International Sarcoma Kindred Study, now recruiting from 23 centers in 7 countries, and led the first international study of denosumab in Giant Cell Tumor of bone, leading to FDA and TGA approval.  He has over 150 research publications, including lead or senior author papers in Cancer Cell, Molecular Cell, Journal of Clinical Investigation, Lancet Oncology, JAMA Oncology, and Journal of Clinical Oncology. Since moving to NSW, he has established the Australian Genomic Cancer Medicine Centre, a national precision medicine program for patients with rare and early onset cancers.  In 2018, he was President of the Connective Tissue Oncology Society, the peak international body in his field.

Christine M. Walko graduated with her Pharm.D. degree from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and completed a pharmacy practice residency at the Medical College of Virginia/VCU in Richmond, Virginia, and a hematology/oncology specialty residency at the University of North Carolina (UNC). She stayed at UNC to complete a two-year academic oncology fellowship focused on drug metabolism and translational research before taking an assistant professor position at UNC in the Division of Pharmacotherapy and Experimental Therapeutics. Dr. Walko is now a Personalized Medicine Specialist, Attending for the Personalized Medicine Consult Service and Chair of the Clinical Genomics Action Committee (CGAC), Moffitt's Molecular Tumor Board. She also serves on the ASCO TAPUR Molecular Tumor Board. Her research focus is on optimizing drug therapy using pharmacogenomics and pharmacokinetics to personalize intravenous and oral anticancer therapy for patients with cancer.

Dr. Brooks practices at Eastern Maine Medical Center and oversees their clinics at the Mt. Desert Island Hospital, the Northern Light Maine Coast Hospital, and the Blue Hill Memorial Hospital. He is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and medical oncology caring for patients in all areas of medical oncology, hematologic oncology and benign hematology. He received his M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine then completed his medical residency at the University of Pennsylvania-Presbyterian Medical Center. Following that, he completed a three-year fellowship in hematology/oncology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. Dr. Brooks arrived at Eastern Maine Medical Center’s Oncology program in 1980 and has held many leadership positions over those years. He spent two and a half years in China as Sr. Vice-President of Medical Affairs and Chief of Oncology Development for United Family Healthcare and returned to Eastern Maine Medical Center in 2011. He now lives with his wife, Astri, in Bar Harbor, ME.

Dr. Christman is the Maine Medical Center (MMC) Pathology Department Chief and Medical Director of MMC hematology, NorDx Flow Cytometry and Molecular Pathology Laboratories. He holds board certification from the American Board of Pathology in anatomic pathology, clinical pathology and hematology. Dr. Christman received his M.D. from Temple University School of Medicine, where he also served his residency and held a fellowship position.

Dr. Connelly practices medical oncology and hematology at Waldo County General Hospital and Pen Bay Medical Center. She is board certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine. Dr. Connelly is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and is on active staff at Waldo County and Pen Bay Medical Center. She received her D.O. from Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine followed by a residency at Akron General Medical Center in internal medicine and a fellowship with the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in medical oncology/hematology.

Dr. Darus practices gynecologic oncology at Maine Medical Center. He holds board certification from the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and specializes in gynecologic oncology. Dr. Darus received his M.D. from Wright State University School of Medicine, followed by a residency at University of Colorado Health Sciences Center and a Fellowship at University of Virginia Medical Center.

Dr. Espinosa is a hematologist/oncologist working at Cary Medical Center. He received his M.D. from the Medical School at Universidad Americana, Managua, Nicaragua. Dr Espinosa then went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship in thyroid cancer basic science research at The Ohio State University followed by a residency in internal medicine also at The Ohio State University. In addition he held a fellowship in hematology-oncology at Vanderbilt University. He also held the position of Assistant Professor at The James/The Ohio State University Medical Center in thyroid cancer and neuroendocrine malignancies. Dr Espinosa is an associate faculty member at Tufts University Medical School through Cary Medical Center.

Dr. Georges practices oncology at York Hospital in Southern Maine. He holds board certification in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology. Dr. Georges received his M.D. from Georges University School of Medicine in Grenada; West Indies followed by an internship and residency at University of Massachusetts. He completed his fellowship in hematology-oncology at MD Anderson Cooper Cancer Center, Cooper Medical School of Rowan University.

Dr. Harb practices oncology at Eastern Maine Medical Center. He is board certified in hematology, internal medicine and medical oncology. Dr. Harb is is also affiliated with Blue Hill Memorial Hospital. He takes a special interest in thoracic, head and neck and neuro-oncology. Dr. Harb received his M.D. from Saint Joseph University, where he also served his residency in internal medicine. Later Dr. Harb did an additional residency at University at Buffalo followed by a fellowship in hematology/oncology at UMDNJ (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey)-Cooper Medical Center.

Roger Inhorn is the Chief of Oncology at Mercy Hospital in Portland, ME. A native Madisonian, he studied mathematics and molecular biology at the University of Wisconsin. He is a graduate of the M.D./Ph.D. program at Washington University Medical School. He completed his internal medicine residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital followed by a medical oncology fellowship at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Inhorn practiced in St. Louis for seven years, where he was associate director of hematology/oncology at St. John’s Mercy Medical Center, prior to relocating to Maine. He has a special interest in breast cancer and clinical trials.

Dr. Kumar is a medical oncologist and hematologist who sees patients at the Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care and the Alfond Center for Health in Augusta. A member of MaineGeneral Medical Center's active staff, he joined the cancer staff in July 2017 after completing a hematology/oncology fellowship at Georgetown University/MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. He received his medical degree from Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India and then did his internal medicine residency and chief residency at Georgetown University/MedStar Washington Hospital Center. His interests include targeted therapies and immunotherapy. 

Dr. Lu-Emerson is a board certified neuro-oncologist at Maine Medical Center.  Her experience includes the development and conduction of phase 2/3 trials for brain tumor patients with current research focus on the mortality and morbidity associated with brain tumors and associated treatments. Dr Lu-Emerson received her MD from New York University School of Medicine, followed by a residency at University of Washington in Seattle and a Fellowship in the Neurooncology program at Massachusetts General Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute/Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Mass.

Dr. Movalia is a Pathologist with Dahl-Chase Pathology Associates in Bangor, ME. He holds board certifications from the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Hematopathology. Dr. Movalia received his M.D. from Flinders University School of Medicine followed by an internship in internal medicine and pathology residency at University of Hawaii as well as a Hematopathology Fellowship at Hartford Hospital.

Dr. Polkinghorn was a practicing oncologist at Maine Medical Center and Mid Coast Hospital for 14 years prior to coming to Maine General Medical Center. His professional interests include breast cancer and lung cancer involving novel and targeted therapies. Dr. Polkinghorn received his M.D. from Case Western Reserve University followed by an internship and residency in internal medicine at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA and a fellowship in medical oncology at Harbor UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, CA. He earned a Master of Arts degree in Education and taught high school science, music and sports for six years prior to entering medical school.

Dr. Rajack is the Medical Director at the Jefferson Cary Cancer Center. She takes a special interest in quality improvement initiatives with the goal of delivering high-quality care in a rural oncology practice setting. Dr. Rajack received her undergraduate MBBS degree from the University of the West Indies. She went on to pursue postgraduate training at SUNY Downstate Health Science Center in Brooklyn, NY. She completed her residency in internal medicine, followed by a fellowship in sickle cell anemia and a fellowship in hematology and oncology. Dr. Rajack is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology.

Dr. Rasmussen is Director of Molecular Genetics at Spectrum Medical Group. She has extensive experience in Clinical Molecular Genetics: development and interpretation of molecular genetic assays, including next-generation sequencing and gene expression profiling. Dr. Rasmussen has provided cancer genetic counseling in the community oncology setting. She also has experience in tumor tissue banking for research and has worked in cancer molecular genetic research, primarily identifying mutational or gene expression profiles of tumors for prognosis or prediction of response to therapy. Dr. Rasmussen received her Ph.D. from the University of New Hampshire followed by a fellowship in clinical molecular genetics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. 

Dr. Remick is Physician Leader of Oncology at Maine Medical Center Cancer Institute and Maine Health, where he specializes in internal medicine and Oncology. He board certified in internal medicine with subspecialty of oncology. Dr. Remick received his M.D. from New York Medical College followed by a residency at Johns Hopkins Baltimore City Hospital and fellowship at University of Wisconsin Hospitals & Clinics.

Dr. Rubin practices oncology at SMHC Cancer Care Center and is Medical Director. He is board certified in hematology and medical oncology. Dr. Rubin received his M.D. from University of Calgary followed by residencies at University of Calgary, University of Western Ontario and University of Western Ontario-Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. He also held a fellowship at Duke University Medical Center. 

Dr. Sinclair practices oncology at Eastern Maine Medical Center (EMMC) CancerCare of Maine. She is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. Her interests include breast cancer, clinical research, and general oncology. Dr. Sinclair received her D.O. from University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine followed by a residency at University of Connecticut School of Medicine in internal medicine and a fellowship with the National Cancer Institute in hematology/oncology. 

Dr. Skacel is a Pathologist at Dahl-Chase Pathology Associates in Bangor, ME. He holds board certifications from the American Board of Pathology in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and Hematopathology. He takes a special interest in the areas of gastrointestinal pathology, genitourinary pathology, soft tissue pathology, hematopathology and molecular pathology. Dr. Skacel received his M.D. followed by an internship at Palacky University in Olomouc, Czech Republic. Subsequently he completed residency in anatomic and clinical pathology at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation followed by fellowships in gastrointestinal, genitourinary & soft tissue pathology, molecular pathology research, hematopathology and surgical pathology.

Dr. Thomas joined New England Cancer Specialists as a physician and the Director of Clinical Research in 2012. His clinical focus is on thoracic cancers (lung cancer, esophageal cancer) as well as GU cancers (prostate, testicular, bladder and kidney cancers). He also serves as an advisor to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Northern New England Clinical Oncology Society and CMS/Medicare. Dr. Thomas completed his medical school training in Frankfurt, Germany and an internal medicine residency and hematology/oncology fellowship at Colombia University in New York City.