Medical Oncology

Peter O’Dwyer, MDPete O'Dwyer, MD

Medical Oncology

Director, Developmental Therapeutics Program, Abramson Cancer Center

Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia

Dr. O'Dwyer is a Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia. Dr. O’Dwyer received his MD from The University of Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, in 1975. He was a Resident in Pediatrics from Waterbury Hospital, Waterbury, Connecticut (1976-1979), and a Resident in Internal Medicine, Greater Baltimore Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland (1979-1981). He went on to a Fellowship in Oncology at The Baltimore Cancer Research Cancer, University of Maryland Hospital. Dr. O’Dwyer is a Fellow in the American College of Physicians, and a member of the American Boards of Pediatrics, American Boards of Internal Medicine, and Subspecialty Boards in Medical Oncology.

 

Mark O’Hara, MDMark O'Hara, MD

Hematology Oncology

Associate Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. O'Hara is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He received his Bachelor of Biology in Molecular Genetics from the University of Rochester in 2004. He went on to obtain his MD in Medicine from the Stony Brook School of Medicine in 2008. Dr. O'Hara is leading several clinical trials at the PCRC to treat Pancreatic Cancer.

 

Kim A. Reiss, MDKim A. Reiss, MD

Hematology Oncology

Associate Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Reiss Binder is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.  She is a dedicated GI medical oncologist and clinical/translational researcher with a specific interest in inherited forms of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.  Dr. Reiss Binder graduated from Colby College with a major in Psychology. After graduating from the Pennsylvania State University Medical School in 2008, Dr. Reiss Binder completed her internal medicine internship, residency and medical oncology fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.  She served as Chief Fellow in her fellowship program from 2014-2015.  In 2015, she joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania as Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, with a clinical research focus in BRCA-associated pancreatic adenocarcinoma. She is leading several clinical trials aimed at improving the therapeutic options for this group of patients.  Dr. Reiss Binder is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.

 

Charles J. Schneider, MD, FACPCJS

Medical Oncology

Clinical Professor of Medicine

Dr. Schneider is currently a principal investigator in the Phase 1 clinical trial program at Penn, and also for ECOG-affiliated trials in the Penn GI oncology clinical research program, with my clinical focus being colorectal and anal cancers. I am the principal investigator for 2 trials which are currently open and accruing patients at Penn. I am also the Medical Monitor for Medical Monitor for UPCC trial 05519, and the Medical Director for UPenn: Observational Study of a Combined Infusion System to Deliver Chemotherapy Regionally to the Liver, intended to produce a new IND for the FDA combining the Medtronics hepatic artery infusion pump with the Codman hepatic artery infusion catheter. I am a gastrointestinal oncologist with expertise in all subtypes of GI malignancies including colorectal, anal, pancreatic, hepatobiliary, liver, small intestinal and upper GI (gastric and esophageal) cancers. I have a special interest and expertise in colorectal, anal, appendix, small intestine and neuroendocrine tumors (entero-pancreatic cancers and paragangliomas).

 

Ursina R. Teitelbaum, MD.     

Medical Oncology

Clinical Director, Penn Pancreatic Cancer Research Center.      

Deenie Greitzer and Daniel G. Haller Associate Professor

Dr. Teitelbaum is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at University of Pennsylvania and serves as the Clinical Director of the Penn Pancreatic Research Center.  She was named Deenie Greitzer and Daniel G. Haller Professor of Gastrointestinal Oncology in 2015.   Dr. Teitelbaum was appointed Section Chief of GI Oncology in 2023

 Dr. Teitelbaum graduated from Duke University and received her MD Summa Cum Laude from University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her Internal Medicine residency at University of Chicago and was the 2nd Hartford Foundation Fellow in Medical Oncology and Geriatrics, completing both fellowships.  She also boarded in Hospice & Palliative Medicine in 2014. She joined Division of Hematology/Oncology at University of Pennsylvania in 2007 and has been an integral leader and educator in the Department of Medicine.  In 2014, she was elected to the Academy of Master Clinicians which honors Penn Medicine clinicians that exemplify the highest standards of clinical excellence, humanism, and professionalism.

Dr. Teitelbaum specializes in GI malignancies with a special interest in pancreas cancer.  She has been the leader of the Pancreas Cancer Service line for the Abramson Cancer Center since 2012. She is very involved with the Hematology/Oncology fellowship with a special interest in educating the fellows on GI cancers.  She completed a dedicated Clinical Research Training Program in 2005.   Dr. Teitelbaum has a keen interest in multidisciplinary care of patients with pancreatic cancer with a focus on innovative clinical trials and excellent supportive care.

 

Nevena Damjanov, MDNevena

Medical Oncology

Section Chief Hematology/Oncology, VA Medical Center

Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Abramson Cancer Center, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center

Professor of Clinical Medicine

Dr. Damjanov is a Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Section Chief of Hematology/Oncology at the CMC VA Medical Center in Philadelphia, and Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Abramson Cancer Center, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.  She  is a gastrointestinal oncologist with expertise in GI malignancies including pancreatic cancer, biliary cancer, liver cancer, colorectal cancer, anal cancer, as well as small intestinal, stomach, esophageal and neuroendocrine cancers. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and the Drexel University School of Medicine, and completed her Internal Medicine training at the Pennsylvania State University and her Hematology-Oncology fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania  and the Case Western University School of Medicine. Dr. Damjanov is board certified in Internal Medicine, Hematology, and Medical Oncology.

 

Jennifer M. Eads, MDEads

Medical Oncology

Physician Lead, GI Clinical Research

Director, National Clinical Trials Network, Abramson Cancer Center

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine

Dr. Eads is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center where she is a gastrointestinal medical oncologist focusing on the treatment of and research in patients with gastroesophageal cancers and neuroendocrine tumors. She is the Physician Lead for GI Clinical Research, overseeing the Penn GI clinical research portfolio. She is the Penn institutional principal investigator for the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG-ACRIN) and was recently appointed as Director of the National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) for the Abramson Cancer Center. She has served as principal investigator for multiple phase I/II/III clinical trials, including as the national study chair for multiple cooperative group trials. She has served on the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) neuroendocrine tumors guidelines committee, is a former member of the North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) Board of Directors and is currently on the Board of Scientific Advisors for the Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation (NETRF). In 2022, she was named as the ECOG-ACRIN Young Investigator of the Year.

 

Parul Agarwal, MD

Medical Oncology

Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania   

Dr. Agarwal is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She attended undergrad and medical school at Boston University where she graduated with honors. She completed her internal medicine residency at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and served as a chief resident for internal medicine (2018-2019). She completed her medical oncology fellowship at Johns Hopkins where she led clinical trials studying mechanisms of immune resistance in pancreatic cancer and also served as a chief fellow. She joined the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania in 2022 where she has served as the principal investigator of clinical trials and has a clinical focus in caring for patients with hepatobiliary and pancreatic cancer. She was appointed Medical Director of the PCAM 2 West Medical Oncology clinic in 2025. Dr. Agarwal is board certified in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology, and Hematology. 

 

William J. Chapin, MD, MSCE

Medical Oncology

Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Chapin is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science with Honors in the Liberal Arts with degrees in Molecular Biology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin in 2012. He graduated from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine in 2016 and completed internal medicine residency (2019) and medical oncology fellowship (2022) at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty. He treats patients with GI malignancies with a focus in colon and rectal cancers. His research involves leading clinical trials through the developmental therapeutics and GI research groups and investigating clinical questions using large, real-world data sets. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.

 

Rebecca B. Forman, MD

Medical Oncology

Dr. Rebecca Forman is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and sees patients at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from Yeshiva University and from Albert Einstein Medical College with a distinction in clinical investigation. She completed both her internal medicine residency and hematology and medical oncology fellowship at Yale New Haven Hospital and served as chief fellow for the hematology oncology fellowship program. She has led multiple studies using large datasets to personalize cancer treatment and survivorship care. Her research has achieved multiple national awards, including a Flatiron Partnership Grant, multiple conference Merit Awards, and a Young Investigator Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. Dr. Forman is board certified in Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology.

 

Emma Briscoe, MSN, RN, OCN

GI Oncology

Nurse Navigator

Emma received her undergraduate degree in nursing from Villanova University. She began her career at Penn as a Nurse Extern on an inpatient oncology unit at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation, she transitioned to a Clinical Nurse role on the same unit, where she worked for seven years. During this time, she became proficient in administering chemotherapy, managing cancer treatment-related symptoms and complications, serving as charge nurse, and training both new and experienced staff in oncology nursing. Emma has been certified in oncology nursing since 2019.


Her passion for teaching and continuing education led her to pursue a master's degree in nursing with a specialization in education from Penn State University. In 2023, Emma joined the Patient and Family Services department as a GI Oncology Nurse Navigator. In this role, she works to ensure patients have timely, equitable access to oncology care and the resources they need throughout their cancer journey.

 

Ye Jin (Jen) Kim, BSN, RN, OCN

GI Oncology 

Jen received her undergraduate degree in nursing from the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing. She began her career as an inpatient oncology nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, where she cared for critically ill patients on the solid tumor service. 

She joined Penn Medicine in 2019 as an inpatient oncology nurse at Pennsylvania Hospital, caring for patients with hematological and oncological malignancies, as well as patients in the bloodless medicine program and inpatient hospice service. She then spent two years working as a clinical research nurse at the Center for Human Phenomic Science at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she collaborated with research teams across the health system to execute hundreds of different clinical trial protocols. 

Jen has been an Oncology Certified Nurse since 2022 and joined the Patient and Family Services department as a GI Oncology Nurse Navigator in 2024. She is dedicated to serving the GI cancer patient population by coordinating care, advocating for their needs and providing resources and support.