Dr. Vapiwala named Glatstein Professor

Eli Glatstein, MD Endowed Professorship Awarded to Neha Vapiwala, MD

Effective July 1, 2024 - I am pleased to award the Eli Glatstein, MD Endowed Professorship to Neha Vapiwala, MD!

 This prestigious clinical and educational Professorship, established in 2018, was created to honor Eli Glatstein, MD’s pioneering contributions to the field and his accomplishments in educating academic leaders in cancer treatment.  Dr. Glatstein is noted for his work in lymphoma, sarcomas, lung cancer, radiation biology, and photodynamic therapy, as well as for his outspoken advocacy of multidisciplinary treatment for cancer. More than 25 of his students and trainees have become chairs of academic departments, continuing his legacy of excellence in cancer therapy. 

Dr. Glatstein was a beloved mentor and educator in the field of radiation oncology and played a critical role in developing its culture of spreading knowledge.  Therefore, it is with great pleasure that we pass this Professorship on to Dr. Vapiwala, who truly espouses the fundamental purposes of this endowment through her commitment to educating and mentoring future leaders in our field.  Dr. Vapiwala is a recognized leader in undergraduate and graduate education, working to establish national standards for high-quality medical training. Prior to her role as Dean of Admissions, she served as Assistant Dean of Student Affairs. Dr. Vapiwala also served a six-year term on the Executive Committee of the Association of Directors of Radiation Oncology Programs and just concluded a three-year term as Chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Residency Review Committee for Radiation Oncology. A recent paper in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics outlines some of the significant changes to national training standards as a result of Dr. Vapiwala’s leadership, redefining the future of radiation oncology training in the U.S.

Dr. Vapiwala specializes in the management of patients with genitourinary (GU) cancers; her research interests focus on biological and technological improvements in radiation therapy, as well as molecular imaging and integrative medicine for disease- and treatment-related symptom management. She is the Principal Investigator of multiple therapeutic trials for prostate cancer patients, including the INDICATE study (EA8191), a national NCI-sponsored randomized phase III cooperative group trial exploring the use of PET-directed systemic and focal therapy in patients with recurrent prostate cancer. She has also served as a Project Leader on a Department of Defense program project grant investigating particle therapy.

Dr. Vapiwala holds leadership positions in multiple national societies and cooperative group committees in GU oncology, presently serving on the NCI Prostate Cancer Task Force, as well as the ECOG-ACRIN GU Early Modality committee in the role of Co-Chair. In her various roles, Dr. Vapiwala has helped to shape national and international treatment guidelines as well as cancer conferences. She was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the Nominating Committee of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Clinical Oncology and JAMA Oncology. Dr. Vapiwala is also a member of PSOM’s Academy of Master Clinicians and has consistently been selected with other medical luminaries for Castle Connolly’s Top Docs in America, Exceptional Women in Medicine, and Philadelphia magazine’s Top Docs, among other accolades.

The initial holder of the Glatstein Professorship was Edgar Ben-Josef, MD – who also upheld the core purpose of this endowment, particularly through his mentorship of students and faculty in helping shape their research goals and efforts.  Dr Ben-Josef will transition into other leadership roles in the department which I will announce separately.  I am grateful for Dr. Ben-Josef’s stewardship of this professorship, and ask that you please join me in congratulating Dr. Neha Vapiwala as the newly named Eli Glatstein, MD Endowed Professor.

James M. Metz, MD
Chair, Radiation Oncology