UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center

05/01/2026

Olivia Sears, MD, has been awarded $150,000 by the Focused Ultrasound Foundation and UVA’s Focused Ultrasound Immuno-Oncology Center to explore how focused ultrasound could overcome treatment resistance in colorectal and triple-negative breast cancer.

Dr. Sears’ research involves the use of noninvasive, ultrasonic sound waves to rupture tumor cells without damaging the surrounding healthy tissue. Once released, the tumor cells’ exposed contents are easier for the immune system to detect, activating its natural response to fight the disease. The project will focus on improving the effectiveness of immunotherapy treatments through remodeling the tumor microenvironment and enhancing cancer-fighting T-cell activity.

A general surgery resident, Dr. Sears is part of a research team co-led by Cancer Center members Natasha Sheybani, PhD, and Allan Tsung, MD. Congratulations, Dr. Sears, and good luck!

Read about Dr. Sears’ Award: https://news.med.virginia.edu/research/olivia-sears-md-receives-focused-ultrasound-preclinical-award/

04/25/2026

Meet Katie Fox, senior lab specialist in UVACCC’s Office of Clinical Research (OCR)!

Katie has been with the Cancer Center since 2022 and was OCR’s inaugural lab specialist. She was drawn to the position as “a unique opportunity to build the lab operations program from the ground up.”

She oversees lab operations for cancer clinical trials, reviewing study manuals and partnering with clinical research coordinators and study teams to align sample collection, processing, storage, and shipment procedures to ensure samples are handled safely and correctly.

Katie’s work is especially meaningful to her because her parents both received treatment at UVACCC: her mother for early-stage endometrial cancer, and her father for metastatic colon cancer. She says her parents’ cancer journeys gave her “a deep appreciation for the work being done and the people behind it,” Katie said. “It reinforces for me that even the behind-the-scenes work we do plays an important role in supporting patients and advancing research.”

Outside of work, Katie is active in her local Jewish community, where she enjoys celebrating holidays, singing in the choir, and participating in community events and performances, including their annual Purim play. She is involved in advocacy work with her husband, and she also enjoys exploring local shops and small businesses around Crozet.

Learn more about the Office of Clinical Research: https://bit.ly/4pCNAgj

04/24/2026

Support from a new international research initiative will power work by John Bushweller, PhD, and colleagues to develop a first-of-its-kind treatment for Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive bone cancer affecting children and young adults.

Due to its rarity, Ewing sarcoma traditionally lacks the amount of research funding afforded to more common cancers. Enter C-Further, a consortium of researchers, providers, charities, and investors formed to advance new treatments for cancers impacting children and young people. It is funded by Cancer Research Horizons, a subsidiary of Cancer Research UK, one of the largest non-profit investors in cancer research, LifeArc, a charity supporting drug development for underserved diseases, and the Great Ormond Street Hospital and Charity.

Research led by Dr. Bushweller, Kim Stegmaier, MD, of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Miguel Rivera, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital targets Ewing sarcoma that has recurred or spread. Dr. Stegmaier’s team found that its survival depends on a protein called ETV6, which, when degraded or repressed, halts the growth of the Ewing sarcoma cells, suggesting a drug targeting ETV6 could be effective for Ewing sarcoma. As work continues with C-Further’s support, Dr. Bushweller’s team will create an ETV6 inhibitor molecule, while Dr. Rivera’s will study treatment’s potential effects on healthy cells and proteins related to ETV6.

Dr. Bushweller recently appeared on Charlottesville’s 29News WVIR to discuss the project, emphasizing the importance of philanthropic support for research into rare cancers.

Though the potential treatment is still in the early stages of development, Dr. Bushweller said that efforts like C-Further will bring drugs like the ETV6 inhibitor from the lab to the clinic faster by fostering innovative connections from the start. “This is really an extraordinary model for the development of new treatments for pediatric cancers,” he said. “This partnership creates a unique pairing of academia and industry, and by putting together this team, we have all the elements for success.”

Read about the C-Further Program: https://www.c-further.org/news/c-further-unveils-first-therapeutic-programmes

Watch Dr. Bushweller’s appearance on NBC 29: https://bit.ly/4soQGWP

04/22/2026

UVA Cancer Center has specialists that only treat head and neck cancer. Learn about our innovative surgical care and advanced robotic techniques.

04/22/2026

04/18/2026

Research led by Cancer Center immunologist Jie Sun, PhD, found that severe cases of COVID-19 and the flu increase risk of developing lung cancer – and that the added risk is largely reduced by routine vaccination.

Dr. Sun and his team found that serious respiratory infections can alter the lung’s protective immune cells, lining, and the air sacs that help us breathe, fostering an inflammatory environment that supports tumor growth months or years later.

Statistically, people hospitalized with COVID-19 were nearly a quarter more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer, regardless of other risk factors like a history of smoking, they found.

The findings could prompt closer monitoring of patients based on personal history, including earlier cancer screenings, and the development of better viral respiratory infection treatments.

Read the article: https://www.uvahealth.com/news/covid-lung-cancer

04/17/2026

Exercise’s potential to prevent cancer is well-known. Now, UVACCC researchers have found that cancer patients who exercise before surgery could actually reduce its chance of recurrence.

Led by School of Medicine at the University of Virginia Surgery Chair Allan Tsung, MD, and Hongji Zhang, PhD, the project focused on colorectal cancer that has spread to the liver, which recurs in more than half of patients who have surgery to remove it. Surgical stress including inflammation and immune changes can promote the disease’s return.

The team found that moderate, preoperative treadmill exercise increased the body’s production of a good bacteria called butyrate. Traveling to the liver, butyrate reprograms immune cells to increase production of the protein CXCL9. That protein in turn recruits and activates specialized immune cells to fight and kill cancer, potentially offsetting the impacts of surgical stress.

Preoperative exercise reduced tumor progression in mice. In patients who exercised, researchers found increased CXCL9 levels and enhanced anti-tumor immune activity.

In addition to demonstrating the potential benefit of preoperative exercise, the findings, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and two Cancer Center Pilot Awards: the IDEA-Cancer pilot award and Cancer Therapeutics (CRX) pilot award, could lead to the development of specialized CXCL9 therapy for patients who are unable to exercise.

Read about Dr. Tsung and Dr. Zhang’s research: https://news.med.virginia.edu/research/uva-study-finds-preoperative-exercise-reduces-cancer-recurrence-after-liver-surgery/

04/13/2026

This month, we recognize and honor the patients, survivors, caregivers, and families impacted by Oral, Head & Neck, Esophageal, Testicular, and Young Adult cancers.

Behind every diagnosis is a person, a family, and a story of courage, resilience, and hope. As we raise awareness this month, we also reaffirm our commitment to delivering compassionate, person-centered care that supports the whole person—not just the diagnosis.

At UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center, we are proud to walk alongside patients and families with expert care, meaningful support, and resources throughout every stage of the cancer experience.

04/11/2026

A multi-state effort led by public health scientist Melissa Little, PhD, to help adults in Appalachia quit smoking is among projects that earned University of Virginia a prestigious Carnegie Community Engagement Classification, recognizing the University’s commitment to the region.

One in four adults in rural Appalachia smoke, the highest rate in the country and a contributor to elevated cancer rates in communities UVACCC serves. To bridge a shortage of primary care providers in the region, collaborator and fellow public health scientist Roger Anderson, PhD, suggested reaching smokers via trusted independent pharmacies.

Funded by UVACCC and the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Little’s project, QuitAid, has partnered with 17 pharmacies in Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennessee to deliver and evaluate tools to help smokers quit. So far, they’ve tested 32 treatment combinations, including pairing ni****ne replacement therapy options like a patch or lozenge, or gum, with other methods like telephone counseling, supportive text messages, and in-person counseling with a community pharmacist.

“I love conducting research with community partners that can have a direct and hopefully lasting impact on reducing cancer disparities,” Dr. Little said.

The Carnegie Community Engagement Classification is awarded by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the American Council on Education (ACE) on institutions that “exemplify American higher education’s commitment to the greater good,” said ACE President Ted Mitchell, ACE President.

Read about Dr. Little’s research and UVA’s new Carnegie Classification: https://bit.ly/3N5OW6g

04/10/2026

Bon Trinh, PhD, has been inducted as a full member of the Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society!

Sigma Xi is an international organization of scientists and engineers committed to advancing research excellence, promoting public engagement in science, and supporting the next generation of researchers.

Dr. Trinh studies how proteins and ribonucleic acid (RNA) work together to control cancer cell growth, communication, and responses to treatment – insights that could help improve future therapies. His group employs interdisciplinary approaches, bringing together basic research, translational studies, and data science.

As a Sigma Xi member, Dr. Trinh has access to unique professional, leadership, and career development resources, as well as new opportunities for collaborative research and mentorship.

Congratulations, Dr. Trinh!

Learn more about Dr. Trinh’s research: https://med.virginia.edu/pathology/contact/bon-trinh-ph-d/ and his lab website: https://tinyurl.com/trinhlaboratory

Learn more about Sigma Xi Scientific Research Honor Society: https://www.sigmaxi.org/home

04/08/2026

A cancer journey can bring so much—fear, change, grief, hope, and moments that are hard to put into words. Sometimes, writing can help us begin. 💙

Join Dr. Cameron Steele for Writing As A Way of Healing, a gentle and supportive virtual workshop for all UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center patients. A former university English professor, writer, teacher, and three-time cancer survivor, Dr. Steele brings both professional expertise and deeply personal understanding to this space. Through guided prompts and meaningful connection, participants are invited to reflect, express, and heal alongside others who truly understand.

No writing experience is needed—just come as you are.

🗓 Thursdays, May 21 – July 2
⏰ 2:30–4:00 PM
💻 Virtual via Zoom
To register, email cancersupportservices@uvahealth.org

04/04/2026

Congratulations to Melanie Rutkowski, PhD, who has been named inaugural Co-Director of the Human Immunophenotyping Initiative (HIPI) at the School of Medicine at the University of Virginia’s Beirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research (CIC).

Each person’s immune system has unique characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses, like a fingerprint, called their immune phenotype. Immunophenotyping is a method of analyzing a person’s cells to understand and categorize how their immune system functions, which can help researchers develop better diagnostic techniques, decision-making tools, and treatments customizable to patients.

A $1.2 million gift from the Beirne Carter Foundation establishing HIPI will provide researchers seed funding for Immunophenotyping research, making it easier to bring laboratory science to patient care.

Dr. Rutkowski, a CIC and UVACCC member, researches the impact of the immune system and the normal microbes in the human body on cancer resistance and spread. In 2022, she discovered that unhealthy gut bacteria contribute to breast cancer’s spread, and more recently, that gut bacteria cause ovarian cancer’s resistance to immune checkpoint therapy.

She will co-lead HIPI alongside fellow CIC member Jeff Sturek, MD, PhD, a UVA physician scientist in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine. Dr. Sturek studies interstitial and inflammatory lung diseases in search of new therapeutic targets. In 2025, he earned a five-year $4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), to study how B cells, a type of white blood cell, and antibodies impact idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic progressive scarring lung disease. He also cares for patients with cancer who develop lung problems related to cancer treatment.

The Carter Center was established in 1991 to provide a better understanding of the impact of the immune system on both chronic and acute diseases, helping find new treatments and cures. Its work has been generously supported by nearly $13 million from the Carter Foundation.

Learn more about the Human Immunophenotyping Initiative and the Beirne B. Carter Center for Immunology Research: https://www.immunology.virginia.edu/