Who We Are

The Physician-Scientists, Clinicians, Laboratory Specialists, Genetic Counselors, Research Coordinators, and Institutions Behind EDISYN

HIGHLIGHTING OUR TEAM

The EDISYN Collaboration

Physician-scientists, clinicians, laboratory specialists, genetic counselors, research coordinators, from five institutions all play unique roles within the organization. In addition, we have partnered closely with leaders of patient advocacy groups strengthening our connection with the community.

Senior Investigators

Kara N. Maxwell, MD, PhD

Dr. Maxwell is a Medical Oncologist with postdoctoral training in Cancer Genetics and PhD training in molecular and cellular biology. Her research interests are in the genetics of human disease, particularly familial breast and prostate cancers, and in determinants of disease penetrance.

Brian Crompton, MD

Dr. Crompton is a pediatric oncologist who cares for children with solid tumor malignancies and cancer predisposition syndromes. He also runs a research laboratory developing new technologies for the detection of circulating tumor DNA. His team is adapting these novel liquid biopsy assays for early cancer detection in children and adults who are at an increased risk of developing malignancies.

Suzanne MacFarland

Suzanne MacFarland is a pediatric oncologist and cancer predisposition specialist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Luke Maese, DO

Dr. Maese along with a multidisciplinary team of genetic counselors, clinical research coordinators, nurses, radiologists and psychologists at the University of Utah’s Huntsman Cancer Institute provide care to hundreds of children and adults with inherited cancer predisposition and together this team conducts a multitude of clinical projects devoted to the improvement of care for this unique population.

Kris Ann Schultz, MD

Dr. Schultz is a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Minnesota with particular interest and expertise in the care of children with cancer predisposition and rare cancers including pleuropulmonary blastoma, Sertoli-Leydig cell tumor and other DICER1-related cancers.

Payal Khincha, MBBS, MSHS

Dr. Khincha is a pediatric hematologist-oncologist with additional Masters in Clinical and Translational Research. Her research interests are in inherited cancer predisposition syndromes, particularly those that can affect children. Dr. Khincha is the Principal Investigator of the NCI’s longitudinal family study on Li-Fraumeni syndrome.

Faculty Advisors

Joshua D. Schiffman, MD

Dr. Schiffman has been involved in seminal research on the impact of family history on childhood cancer risk and in developing strategies for screening and early detection in people with hereditary cancer. In his lab, he leads a team of researchers dedicated to scientific discoveries focused on the advancement of care for children and adults with inherited predisposition to cancer.

Judy E. Garber, MD, MPH

Dr. Garber is a world-renowned leader in the clinical care of patients with breast cancer and Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS). Her research has transformed our understanding of germline TP53 mutations and LFS manifests in patients with this cancer-risk syndrome. She also leads one of the world’s largest registry and biobanking efforts, aiming to improve cancer risks predictions for patients with LFS to offer better options for cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment in the future.

Sharon A. Savage, MD

Dr. Savage leads clinical, genetic, and epidemiologic studies of individuals and families at high risk of cancer, including LFS and telomere biology disorders, to advance understanding of the causes of cancer and to improve the lives of those affected by cancer.