Our Team

Orlando Health Cancer Institute has built a research and clinical trials team dedicated to developing new and innovative healthcare options of diagnosing and treating cancer. While our team consists of many specialties with vaious expersite, our principal investigators (PI), co-investigators (Col) are practicing physicians and licensed cliniccians who execute and analyze the data from the research and clinical trials.

Meet some of our principal investigators below.

Akash Nanda, MD, PhD

Board Certified Radiation/Oncologist

Dr. Nanda specializes in genitourinary malignancies.

His current studies and clinical trials include:

  • Comparing proton versus beam therapy in treatment of prostate cancer.
  • Evaluating androgen deprivation therapy and high-dose radiotherapy with or without whole-pelvic radiotherapy in unfavorable intermediate or favorable high-risk prostate cancer.

For more information, please call (321) 841-8650.

Cameron Swanick, MD

Board Certified Radiation/Oncologist

Dr. Swanick’s research focuses on breast cancer.

Studies she currently leads include:

  • Investigating outcomes of shortening adjuvant photon irradiation in patients receiving adjuvant radiation for breast cancer.
  • Participating and collaborating with other principal investigators in radiation research.

For more information, please call (321) 841-8650.

Daniel Landau, MD

Board Certified Hematologist/Oncologist

Dr. Landau is focused on research that includes hematologic malignancies and cancers of the genitourinary tract.

His work includes:

  • Studying daratumumab (an antibody that binds to CD 38, which is overexpressed on multiple myeloma cells) in conjunction with lenolidomide (an anti-angiogenesis agent) in patients who have received an autologous stem cell transplant for multiple myeloma.
  • Genitourinary research, which includes a study of systemic therapy with or without surgery or radiation for metastatic prostate cancer.
  • Leading a study exploring the efficacy and safety of cabozantinib (an oral small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitor of c-MET, VEGFR2, AXL and RET) and immunotherapy in patients with rare genitourinary tumors.

For more information, please call (321) 841-7219.

Diane Robinson, PhD

Neuropsychologist

Dr. Robinson’s research evaluates integrative and complementary therapy for patients facing a diagnosis of cancer.

Her current clinical trials and studies include:

  • Evaluating efficacy for cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in adult cancer patients.
  • Studying yoga therapy for stress, depression and anxiety in cancer patients.
  • Studying arts in medicine for reduction of pain and stress during chemotherapy.

For more information, please call (321) 841-8650.

Jennifer Tseng, MD

Board Certified Hematologist/Oncologist

Dr. Tseng investigates treatment for lung cancer and head and neck cancers. Her current clinical trials and studies include:

  • Leading a pivotal study of Tumor Treating Fields (electrical pulses that interfere with the growth and division of cancer cells) concurrent with standard of care therapies for treatment of stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer following platinum failure.
  • Serving as the principal investigator for the study of de-intensified radiation therapy for patients with early-stage, P16-Positive, non-smoking associated oropharyngeal cancer.
  • Studying the integration of immunotherapy into adjuvant therapy for resected non-small cell lung cancer in the Alchemist A081801 clinical trial.
  • Testing tumors for genetic mutations to facilitate accrual into adjuvant studies (Alchemist A151216).

For more information, please call (321) 841-1882.

Jose Sarriera, MD

Board Certified Hematologist/Oncologist

Dr. Sarriera’s center of attention is on hematologic malignancies including leukemias and lymphomas.

His current clinical trials and studies include:

  • Studying a monoclonal antibody directed at CD-22 that is conjugated to a chemotherapy payload in young patients with precursor B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia.
  • Evaluating the safety and tolerability of CG-806, which is a new class of drugs that targets a cluster of kinases in myeloid tumor and is selective, thus reducing toxicity; the current focus is on chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma through a study being conducted with the UCLA TRIO network.
  • Leading institutional research on mantle cell lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma.

For more information, please call (321) 841-1893.

Naren Ramakrishna, MD, PhD

Board Certified Radiation/Oncologist

Dr. Rineer’s focus is improving the treatment of patients with lung cancer and head and neck cancer.

Current studies include:

  • The combination of chemotherapy and radiation with and without immunotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.
  • Assessing the role of avoiding the hippocampus in prophylactic radiation for patients with small cell lung cancer.

For more information, please call (321) 841-8650.

Luis Herrera, MD

Board Certified Thoracic Surgical Oncologist

Dr. Herrera’s specialization is in lung cancer. Unique research studies he in which he is involved include:

  • Evaluating surgical efficiency and performance by analyzing da Vinci system data and video recordings for all major surgical specialties.
  • Observing molecular multianalyte assay to predict lung cancer in patients at high risk who are undergoing low dose CT screening for lung cancer.

For more information, please call (321) 841-1882.

 

Naren Ramakrishna, MD, PhD

Board Certified Radiation Oncologist

Dr. Ramakrishna is focused on central nervous system malignancies.

His current clinical trials and studies include:

  • Leading the registry for proton beam treatment at the Orlando Health Cancer Institute.
  • Serving as the principal investigator for the study evaluating radiosurgery with or without Tumor Treating Fields (a device that delivers electrical pulses that interfere with the growth and division of cancer cells) for patients with brain metastases from non-small cell lung cancer.
  • Serving as the lead author of ASCO’s guidelines for the treatment of brain metastases stemming from breast cancer that overexpresses the HER2/neu protein or gene.

For more information, please call (321) 841-8650.

Patrick Kelly, MD, PhD

Board Certified Radiation/Oncologist

Dr. Kelly’s focus is investigating comprehensive aspects of radiation therapy delivery and planning as well as personalized radiation therapy for breast cancer guided by biomarkers.

Clinical trials and studies include:

  • Studying molecular characterization identifying low risk patients who have undergone breast-conserving therapy or mastectomy and have positive lymph nodes or a T3 tumor, yet have a low 21 gene recurrence score (oncotype recurrence score), randomized to receive adjuvant radiation therapy or observation along with their planned adjuvant endocrine therapy.
  • Studying de-intensified radiation patients’ resected early stage (T1-2, NO) anal squamous cell carcinoma with adjuvant chemotherapy (standard or de-intensified) and standard dose or reduced radiation (Gy and fractions), based on retrospective/anecdotal data that indicates excellent outcomes for early-stage disease treated with de-intensified strategies.
  • Designing the “Radiation Therapy on First Visit” pilot study to examine the feasibility of using virtual visits and diagnostic scans to expedite treatment planning and make treatment more rapidly available than conventional planning and shorten the time for pain and symptom control for patients requiring radiation therapy.
  • Participating in the SMART trial where patients with borderline resectable or inoperable locally-advanced pancreatic cancer would receive MR guided on-table adaptive radiation therapy and soft tissue tracking with modulation of the radiation beam to target/track the site of disease.

  • For more information, please call (321) 841-8650.

Rafael Manon, MD

Board Certified Radiation Oncologist

Dr. Manon specializes in radiation oncology including the treatment of head and neck, thoracic and gynecologic malignancies with radiation.

He has contributed to more than 25 studies. His most recent clinical trials and studies include:

  • Leading a novel study to compare the effectiveness of prophylactic swallow intervention for patients receiving radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.
  • Contributing to the study titled Variability in Commercially Available Deformable Image Registration: A Multi-Institution Analysis Using Virtual Head and Neck Phantoms.
  • Contributing to the study titled Diagnostic Scan-Based Planning (DSBP), A Method to Improve the Speed and Safety of Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Critically Ill Patients.

For more information, please call (321) 841-8650.

Rebecca Moroose, MD

Board Certified Medical Oncologist

Dr. Moroose’s focus is on molecular studies and breast cancer research.

Studies and trials in which she has led and played a pivotal role include:

  • Performing breast cancer research that led to FDA approval of breast cancer therapies including tucatinib, talazoparib, neratinib and sacituzumab-govitecan.
  • Participating in the Molecular Assessment for Therapy Choice (NCI-MATCH trial).
  • Performing the HER2CLIMB-05 study evaluating the use of tucatinib in combination with trastuzumab and pertuzumab as a maintenance therapy in subjects with advanced Her2+ breast cancer.

For more information, please call (321) 841-4363.

Sajeve Thomas, MD

Board Certified Hematologist/Oncologist

Dr. Thomas’ focus is immunologic therapy in melanoma and other solid tumors.

His current clinical trials and studies include:

  • Principal investigator studying harvesting tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, expanding them ex-vivo, then infusing them back into patients after lymphocyte depletion of the patient. This has been shown to have a significant signal in patients with metastatic melanoma and is being explored in other tumor types including metastatic cervical cancer.
  • Leading a study exploring the impact of dual immunomodulators (Anti-CDLA-4 and Anti-PD-1) in rare tumors, the combination of Anti-LAG-3 with or without an Anti-PD-1 antibody in advanced malignancies and the combination of lenvatinib (a small molecule inhibitor of angiogenesis) in combination with the immunomodulatory antibody, pembrolizumab, in selected solid tumors.
  • Studying novel agents for the adjuvant treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma and for advance squamous cell carcinoma of the skin.
  • Serving as principal investigator in upcoming CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor) cell studies.

For more information, please call (321) 841-8470.

Shelly Seward, MD

Board Certified Gynecologic Oncologist

Dr. Seward has a professional interest in cancers of the cervix, ovaries and other areas of the reproductive system.

She has joined Veronica Schimp, MD, a board-certified gynecologic oncologist, and Joseph Meunier, DO, a board-certified clinical oncologist, with plans to further build Orlando Health’s research platform for patients with gynecologic malignancies.

Dr. Seward’s background in clinical trials and studies includes 30 studies over the past decade that have focused on investigating new medications for the treatment of gynecologic cancer. Her most recent studies include:

  • Studying the effects of slide storage on the detection of molecular markers by IHC and FISH in endometrial cancer tissues from a clinical trial.
  • Studying dose escalation and expansion of anti-mesothelin antibody drug conjugate anetumab ravtansine in advanced or metastatic solid tumors.
  • Studying antibody drug conjugates in the treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer.

For more information, please call (321) 841-8393.

Terry Mamounas, MD, MPH

Board Certified Surgical Oncologist

Dr. Mamounas’s specialization is in breast cancer.

An internationally renowned pioneer in the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy, breast conserving surgery and the validation of biomarkers for prediction of therapy response and prognosis, other studies and research projects in which he has participated include:

  • The planning and delivery of NRG and NSABP foundation trials.
  • Using a novel device to detect residual tumor in the tumor bed after lumpectomy for invasive breast cancer.
  • Evaluating axillary lymph node dissection to axillary radiation in breast cancer patients with N1 nodal disease.

For more information, please call (407) 648-5384.

Thomas Dvorak, MD

Board Certified Radiation/Oncologist

Dr. Dvorak specializes in the novel treatment of breast cancer and other malignancies.

His areas of expertise and study include:

  • Studying proton beam therapy and improvement of targeted radiation delivery.
  • Serving as the principal investigator in a study evaluating the comparison of lymph node radiation delivered via protons or photons for women requiring comprehensive lymph node irradiation for diagnosis of breast cancer.

For more information, please call (321) 841-8650.

Tirrell Johnson, MD

Board Certified Hematologist/Oncologist

His current clinical trials and studies include:

  • Investigating the use of a PARP inhibitor (talazoparib) with intermittent low dose temozolomide in patients with relapsed or refractory extensive stage small cell lung cancer in collaboration with the UCLA-TRIO research network.
  • Leading the study of immunotherapy with chemotherapy followed by immunotherapy, with or without a PARP inhibitor, compared to concurrent chemoradiation therapy in patients with unresectable locally advanced stage III non-small cell lung cancer.
  • Serving as the principal investigator of a study of osimertinib (an oral small molecule inhibitor of EGFR) with or without chemotherapy in patients whose tumors have a mutation in the EGFR gene.
  • Leading a study comparing docetaxel to a unique antibody-drug conjugate that targets a cell surface protein, TROP-2, and carries a toxic payload of chemotherapy, DXd, for patients who have been treated for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer whose tumors do not have an actionable mutation.

For more information, please call (321) 841-1882.