I am an Assistant Professor at the Melanoma Medical Oncology Department at MD Anderson Cancer Center, with 18 years of post-MD experience. Early during my clinical oncology fellowship and Ph.D. project, I started having a passion for exploring the interplay of tumor biology and immunology to enhance clinical trials and understand the natural history of cancer. Thus, I investigated the role of Insulin-like growth factors as a possible surrogate prognostic marker for hepatocellular carcinoma. Recognizing the potential impact of my work, I was awarded a scholarship by the Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education to join the MD Anderson Research Fellowship program. This opportunity allowed me to collaborate on various research projects and clinical trials and serve as a principal investigator or co-investigator on several funded grants, including the US Department of Defense and the American Society of Clinical Oncology Conquer Cancer Foundation.
After completing my fellowship in September 2018, I expanded my contribution beyond clinical practice. I was a Consultant Clinical Research Investigator for the GI Medical Oncology Department at MD Anderson and the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. Subsequently, I served as the Chief Scientific Officer and Director of Research of the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation until November 2022, during which I led the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Research Fellowship Program and served on the grant reviewers committee. Transitioning to the MD Anderson Melanoma Medical Oncology Department as an Assistant Professor was driven by my aspiration to advance my knowledge in the immune-oncology field. Melanoma is a unique immune-sensitive cancer with diverse immune agents used in the standard of care; it provides a tremendous opportunity to study the immune biology of the tumor microenvironment compared with the inflamed/autoimmune tissues and identify biomarkers of response and toxicities. Since joining the melanoma department, I have been actively involved in establishing other collaborative immunotherapy-related projects. These projects include ongoing investigations of the immune-related mechanisms of tumor response, immunotherapy resistance, and efforts to identify novel predictive and prognostic biomarkers for melanoma. Moreover, throughout my career, my research has focused on establishing a centralized clinically annotated biorepository for various cancers specifically for hepatobiliary cancers and melanoma to study debatable disease risk factors, evaluate various treatment approaches’ safety, efficacy, and long-term outcomes using real-world data, and discover predictive and prognostic biomarkers for treatment response and toxicities.
Through my ongoing research endeavors, I strive to contribute to advancing immunotherapy strategies for melanoma patients. By leveraging my expertise in tumor biology, immunology, real-world data, and clinical trials, I aim to improve patient outcomes, enhance our understanding of the immune response in cancer, and ultimately make a significant impact in oncology.
Besides my clinical and research activities, I have always believed that mentorship is crucial for both mentors and mentees and I have participated in several internationally recognized mentorship programs to support young oncology investigators worldwide. I have personally mentored and co-mentored 4 medical students, 5 graduate students, 9 clinical residents, hematology-oncology fellows and once-hospitalist fellows, and 1 postdoctoral fellow at Assiut University, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Arizona Mel/Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, Tulane University School of Medicine, Gustave Roussy Institute in France, Instituto Nacional de Cancerologia (INCAN) in Mexico, and Hope International Hospital in Kenya. Most of my mentees had the opportunity to present their work at international and national conferences including ASCO, the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation Annual Conference, the United Arab Emerita Cancer Congress, and the F1000 poster. Also, two of them received the ESO-ESMO oncology course for medical students.