Neha Vapiwala

faculty photo
Professor of Radiation Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania
Vice Chair of Education, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania
Co-Chief, Genitourinary Service, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania
Associate Dean of Admissions, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
Department: Radiation Oncology

Contact information
3400 Civic Center Boulevard
Department of Radiation Oncology
4th Floor, West Pavilion
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: 215-662-2337
Fax: 215-349-8975
Education:
BA (Biology and Hispanic Studies)
Johns Hopkins University, 1996.
MD (Medicine)
University of Pennsylvania, 2001.
Post-Graduate Training
Intern, Internal Medicine, Albert Einstein Medical Center, 2001-2002.
Resident, Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2002-2006.
Assistant Chief Resident, Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2004-2005.
Chief Resident, Radiation Oncology, University of Pennsylvania, 2005-2006.
Permanent link
 
> Perelman School of Medicine   > Faculty   > Details

Description of Research Expertise

prostate cancer, bladder cancer, image-guided radiation therapy, biologic agents, radiosensitizers, novel imaging agents, external beam radiation, immunotherapy, medical education

Description of Other Expertise

Dr. Neha Vapiwala is Professor and Vice Chair of Education in the Department of Radiation Oncology at University of Pennsylvania. She specializes in the management of patients with genitourinary (GU) cancers. Her work focuses on biological and technological improvements in the delivery of photon- and proton-based radiation, and she currently serves as the Principal Investigator of multiple therapeutic trials for prostate cancer patients, including a recently activated national phase III randomized clinical trial on the use of PET scan findings to direct and local and systemic treatment intensification in patients with post-prostatectomy biochemical recurrence through the ECOG-ACRIN cooperative group.

Dr. Vapiwala is a member of numerous national and international scientific committees dedicated to GU cancer research and education, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Scientific Program Committees and the National Cancer Institute's Prostate Cancer Task Force. She was recently elected to the Board of Directors of ASTRO and named to the editorial boards of JAMA Oncology and the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Dr. Vapiwala also devotes significant time to her roles in medical education. She previously served as Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and was named the Associate Dean of Admissions at University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine in 2019. She is also the current Chair of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Residency Review Committee for Radiation Oncology, which oversees national training standards for her specialty.

Description of Itmat Expertise

Genitourinary cancers; Prostate cancer; Image-guided radiation therapy; External beam radiation; Proton therapy; Novel molecular imaging; Stereotactic body radiation

Selected Publications

Hussain M, Lin D, Saad F, Vapiwala N, Chapin BF, Sandler H, Evans CP, Carducci MA, Sachdev S.: Newly Diagnosed High-Risk Prostate Cancer in an Era of Rapidly Evolving New Imaging: How Do We Treat? J Clin Oncol 39(1): 13-16, Jan 2021.

Vapiwala N: The Power of Exercise to Influence Cardiovascular and Oncologic Outcomes-Survival of the Fittest. JAMA Oncol August 2021.

Valle L, Shabsovich D, de Meerleer G, Maurer T, Murphy DG, Nickols NG, Vapiwala N, Calais J, Kishan AU: Use and Impact of Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Prior to Salvage Radiation Therapy in Men with Biochemical Recurrence After Radical Prostatectomy: A Scoping Review. European Urology Oncology June 2021.

Vapiwala N, Wong JK, Handorf E, Paly J, Grewal A, Tendulkar R, Godfrey D, Carpenter D, Mendenhall NP, Henderson RH, Stish BJ, Vargas C, Salama JK, Davis BJ, Horwitz EM: A Pooled Toxicity Analysis of Moderately Hypofractionated Proton Beam Therapy and Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy in Early-Stage Prostate Cancer Patients. Int J Rad Onc Bio Phys July 2021.

Virgo KS, Rumble RB, de Wit R, Mendelson DS, Smith TJ, Taplin ME, Wade JL 3rd, Bennett CL, Scher HI, Nguyen PL, Gleave M, Morgan SC, Loblaw A, Sachdev S, Graham DL, Vapiwala N, Sion AM, Simons VH, Talcott J: Initial Management of Noncastrate Advanced, Recurrent, or Metastatic Prostate Cancer: ASCO Guideline Update. J Clin Oncol April 2021.

Williams C, Perez MA, Vapiwala N, Shea JA: The Impact of Socioeconomic Factors on Medical School Acceptance Rates. Academic Medicine November 2021.

Kamran SC, Winkfield KM, Reede JY, Vapiwala N.: Intersectional Analysis of U.S. Medical Faculty Diversity over Four Decades. N Engl J Med 386: 1363-1371, Apr 2022.

Narayan V, Barber-Rotenberg JS, Jung IY, Lacey SF, Rech AJ, Davis MM, Hwang WT, Lal P, Carpenter EL, Maude SL, Plesa G, Vapiwala N, Chew A, Moniak M, Sebro RA, Farwell MD, Marshall A, Gilmore J, Lledo L, Dengel K, Church SE, Hether TD, Xu J, Gohil M, Buckingham TH, Yee SS, Gonzalez VE, Kulikovskaya I, Chen F, Tian L, Tien K, Gladney W, Nobles CL, Raymond HE; Prostate Cancer Cellular Therapy Program Investigators, Hexner EO, Siegel DL, Bushman FD, June CH, Fraietta JA, Haas NB.: PSMA-targeting TGFbeta-insensitive armored CAR T-cells in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a phase 1 trial. Nat Med Mar 2022.

Butala AA, Huang CC, Bryant CM, Henderson RH, Hoppe BS, Mendenhall NP, Vapiwala N, Mailhot Vega RB.: Heterogeneity in Radiotherapeutic Parameter Assumptions in Cost-Effectiveness Analyses in Prostate Cancer: A Call for Uniformity. Value Health Mar 2022.

Kamran SC, Niemierko A, Deville C Jr, Vapiwala N.: Diversity Trends by Sex and Underrepresented in Medicine Status Among US Radiation and Medical Oncology Faculty Over 5 Decades. JAMA Oncol 8: 221-229, Feb 2022.

back to top
Last updated: 02/27/2024
The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania