Leadership

Ben Z. Stanger, MD, PhD

Director, PCRC
 bstanger@upenn.edu
 215-746-5560

Assistant: Fran Tucker
Email: ftucker@upenn.edu
Phone: 215-746-5519

Ben Z. Stanger, MD, PhD, is a Hanna Wise Professor of Cancer Research, and Professor of Medicine and Cell and Developmental Biology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, as well as an Investigator at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute. Dr. Stanger earned his SB in Life Sciences from MIT in 1988 and his MD/PhD from Harvard Medical School in 1997, where his graduate work concerned mechanisms of apoptosis. He then completed a residency in Internal Medicine at UCSF and a fellowship in Gastroenterology at the Massachusetts General Hospital, performing postdoctoral work on gastrointestinal development with Dr. Douglas Melton. In 2006, he moved to the University of Pennsylvania, where he turned his attention to gastrointestinal cancer and tissue regeneration. Dr. Stanger is an elected member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and is a former Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences.

Gregory L. Beatty, MD, PhD

Director of Translational Research, PCRC
 Gregory.Beatty@uphs.upenn.edu
 215-746-7764

Gregory L. Beatty, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, and an Attending Physician at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Beatty graduated in 1995 from Bucknell University with a BS in Chemical Engineering. He then continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania, where he received a PhD in Immunology in 2000. After his graduate studies, he went on to complete his medical training and received an MD from the University of Pennsylvania in 2004. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Medical Oncology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. In 2012, he joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania as Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology and as a researcher in the Center for Cellular Immunotherapies. He has led multiple first-in human clinical studies with a clinical interest in GI malignancies including pancreas, esophageal and colon carcinomas. He is a member of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s Scientific and Medical Advisory Board and serves as Chair of the PANCAN Precision Promise Immunotherapy Working Group.

Ursina Teitelbaum

Clinical Director
 ursina.teitelbaum@uphs.upenn.edu
 215-662-6018

Ursina R. Teitelbaum, MD, is an Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at University of Pennsylvania and serves as Clinical Director of the Penn Pancreatic Cancer Research Cancer. She is a dedicated GI medical oncologist with special interest in treating pancreas adenocarcinoma, and she serves as Leader of the Pancreas Cancer Service Line at the Abramson Cancer Center. Dr Teitelbaum graduated from Duke University with double majors in History and German Literature.  After graduating from University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1999, she completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at University of Chicago. She completed two fellowships in Medical Oncology and Geriatrics at University of Chicago as well as a dedicated Clinical Research Training Program in 2005. Dr. Teitelbaum has her certifications from the American Board of Internal Medicine in Medical Oncology, Geriatric Medicine, and Hospice & Palliative Medicine. She joined the faculty of University of Pennsylvania in 2007 and exclusively cares for patients with gastrointestinal malignancies. Her special interest is multidisciplinary care of pancreas cancer patients with focus on innovative clinical trials and excellent supportive care. Dr. Teitelbaum was recently elected to the Penn Medicine Academy of Master Clinicians, which honors Penn Medicine clinicians that exemplify the highest standards of clinical excellence, humanism, and professionalism.

Patricia Gambino, MSN, RN

Pancreatic Nurse Navigator
 Patricia.Gambino@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
 215-615-0537

Trish Gambino received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing. Trish has been an oncology nurse for the past 30 years, the last 15 years dedicated to gastrointestional malignancies, with a subspecialty in pancreatic cancer. She has been involved with the Oncology Nursing Society of Philadelphia, having held numerous leadership positions within that organization. Trish's goal, as a pancreatic nurse navigator, is to facilitate and coordinate all disciplines involved in your care, so that your experience at Penn is optimal.

Diann Boyd, BSN, RN, OCN

Nurse Navigator
 Diann.Boyd@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
 215-614-1863

Diann is a GI Oncology Nurse Navigator at Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center.  She joined the Patient and Family Services Team in September 2016 and quickly expanded her role to include GI – Outreach for the Colorectal Cancer Screening Program. As one of two GI Oncology Nurse Navigators, Diann has a focus on NET, colorectal cancers and cancers of the upper GI tract. Prior to joining Penn Medicine, she worked for the Robert Wood Johnson Barnabas Health System in New Jersey for 23 years as the Nurse Manager at the Frederick B. Cohen, MD Cancer Center at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark, NJ. One of her accomplishments there was the development and management of the cancer center’s patient navigation program that included navigators for Breast, Lung and GI Cancers as well as for Sickle Cell Disease. Diann earned a Diploma in Nursing from the Elizabeth General Medical Center School of Nursing, Elizabeth, New Jersey and a Bachelor of Nursing from Kean University, Union, New Jersey. She has dedicated her nursing career to Oncology Nursing and has maintained her oncology nursing certification for over 20 years. She loves working with her patients, educating them and their caregivers about their disease, treatments, and health maintenance.

Liudmila L. Mazaleuskaya, PhD

Program Manager
 mazali@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
 267-455-9141

Liudmila L. Mazaleuskaya, PhD, is the Pancreas Team Program Manager in the Clinical Research Unit (CRU) at the Abramson Cancer Center. Liudmila (Luda for short) oversees all the aspects of the clinical research portfolio performed by the Penn Pancreatic Cancer Research Center (PCRC). Luda received her PhD in Pharmacology and Physiology from Drexel University College of Medicine and did postdoctoral training in the Institute for Translational Medicine and Therapeutics at Penn. She has extensive experience in preclinical and clinical development of analgesics and immunomodulating drugs. Luda joined the CRU/PCRC in 2022 and has built a team of clinical research nurses and coordinators to support patients with pancreatic cancer on their journey in clinical studies. Luda works closely with the PCRC medical oncologists to activate clinical trials for pancreatic adenocarcinoma and to offer personalized options for patients with different stages of the disease. Together with the clinical team, Luda participates in fundraising events to increase public awareness and raise research funding to end pancreatic cancer.