Known for conducting novel clinical trials in gastrointestinal cancers, Dr. Staley specializes in treating cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, stomach, liver, small bowel and rectum. He has investigated gene therapy for metastatic colon cancer and radiofrequency ablation with intra-arterial chemotherapy for patients with colorectal liver metastases. Currently, he and his colleagues are exploring methods of using nanotechnology to treat and diagnose pancreatic and breast cancer. Dr. Staley is the institutional principal investigator for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group, the major source for Winship Cancer Institute's clinical research program; was an ad hoc member of Grant Review Subcommittee H of the National Cancer Institute in 2007; and an associate examiner for the American Board of Surgery in 2007 and 2002.

Dr. Carlson is board certified in both general surgery and plastic surgery. This atypical expertise in two separate specialties allows him to both treat cancer and reconstruct the damage it can cause, a skill set he uses most frequently with breast cancer and head and neck cancer patients. He also specializes in treating melanoma and skin cancers.

In July 2007, Winship Cancer Institute's Melanoma Working Group/Multi-Disciplinary Tumor Board, co-chaired by Dr. Delman, was designated one of the first Melanoma Centers of Excellence named by the Melanoma Hope Network. In 2009, Dr. Delman described and was the first surgeon in the world to perform laparoscopic inguinal lymph node dissections for melanoma and general urinary cancers, and is now planning a nationwide Phase III comparative trial.

For six consecutive years Dr. Gabram has been named one of America's Top Doctors by Castle Connolly. She specializes in treating breast cancer, directs the division's breast cancer fellowship and researches disparities of care for breast cancer patients. She serves as the medical director for the AVON outreach and navigation program as well as the Co-Principal Investigator on the AVON Foundation grant responsible for clinical access to care for breast cancer patients in the Grady Health System.

During her tenure as deputy director for administration for the Winship Cancer Institute, Dr. Gillespie was instrumental to the process of Winship being named an NCI Designated Cancer Center. In September 2009, she was appointed PI of a three-year, multi-site, national study based at Emory and funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is investigating informed decision-making regarding treatment options and health disparities in early-stage prostate cancer, primarily in terms of access to care and racial differences.

Dr. Kooby, who specializes in treating tumors of the liver, pancreas, stomach and colon, as well as sarcomas and other tumors of the abdomen, retroperitoneum, and gastrointestinal tract, authored and conducted a national study of the efficacy of laparoscopic pancreatectomy from 2002-2006 that concluded performing the minimally invasive operation offered patients shorter hospital stays and fewer complications. He has also conducted similar national research studies in liver tumors and liver surgery.

Dr. Maithel joined our faculty in August 2009 after completing his surgical oncology fellowship and hepatopancreatobiliary surgery fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. His clinical focus is gastrointestinal oncology, hepatobiliary tumors, and pancreatic tumors, while his research interests include clinical investigation and outcomes analysis of hepatopancreatobiliary tumors as well as studying the molecular predictors of outcome and chemotherapeutic response.

After completing her surgical oncology fellowship at Emory, Dr. Rizzo joined the department. She serves on the surgical staffs of Winship's Melanoma Center of Excellence, Breast Cancer Healthcare Team, and Sarcoma and Musculoskeletal Team, and is a member of Winship's Breast Cancer Program (BCP). The BCP is investigating the use of chemotherapy and pre-operative targeted agents to allow correlation of molecular profiles with response to therapy.

Dr. Styblo has been named one of America's Top Doctors by Castle Connolly 12 years in a row. She is listed in America's Top Surgeons, Atlanta Magazine's Best Doctors and has been honored with a Patients' Choice Recognition Award. She co-directs the Emory Comprehensive Breast Center and is the American College of Surgeons Cancer Liaison at Emory University Hospital. Since joining the Emory surgical faculty in 1988, she has pioneered skin sparing-mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and oncoplastic breast conserving therapy.

Dr. Wood chaired the Department of Surgery at Emory from 1991 until February 2009, building it to new heights of excellence in clinical care, education, and research. He is recognized nationally and internationally for his outstanding contributions to cancer therapy and for his influence on the design and meta-analysis of conceptually driven national clinical trials. Among his many achievements are receiving the 2007 Statesman Award of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the 2005 James Ewing Award of the Society of Surgical Oncology, and chairing the 1990 National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference on Management of Early Breast Cancer. Past president of the Society of Surgical Oncology, he now co-chairs the National Cancer Institute's Breast Cancer Steering Committee.

Dr. Yang's basic science research focuses on novel approaches for cancer treatment and detection, including the investigation of the feasibility and mechanism of targeting the inhibitor of apoptosis proteins for induction of specific cell death and early detection of the cancer cells. She is also involved in developing multifunctional and tumor targeted nanoparticles for non-invasive tumor imaging.