Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma Medical Advisory board
Kelly M. Bailey, MD, PhD
Kelly M. Bailey, MD, PhD is a Senior Associate Consultant at Mayo Clinic and the Direct of Cancer AYA Translational Research at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Bailey is a pediatric oncologist specializing in the clinical treatment and biology of bone sarcomas, with a specific focus on Ewing sarcoma. Her laboratory-based research program focuses on understanding the intersection of DNA damage (such as radiation therapy) and immunobiology with the goal of discovering better treatment options for patients with advanced Ewing sarcoma. Clinically, her practice is focused on treating adolescent and young adult patients diagnosed with bone sarcomas. Nationally, Dr. Bailey leads the Ewing Sarcoma Biology Committe call within the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), is the Ewing sarcoma disease lead for the CCDI Molecular Characterization Initiative, and is the national Vice Chair of a COG clinical trial examining a maintenance immunotherapeutic for the treatment of relapsed osteosarcoma. She is also a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pediatric and Adolescent Solid Tumor Steering Committee (PASTSC).
Lisa B. Ercolano, MD
Lisa B. Ercolano, MD is the Chief of Allegheny Health Network (AHN) Orthopaedic Oncology where she also serves as the DEI officer in the Department of Orthopaedics and Associate Program Director of the Orthopaedic Residency Program. Following her residency at UPMC and a fellowship in Orthopaedic Oncology at Harvard, Dr. Ercolano returned to Pittsburgh to build and direct the musculoskeletal oncology program at AHN. In joining the PCS team, Dr. Ercolano has been instrumental in facilitating a cooperative effort between major hospital networks related to the research and treatment of sarcoma. She frequently directs her patients and their families to PCS which she describes as “a remarkable group of people whose work, effort and time are contributing mightily to education, community, support and research for this rare and orphaned disease”.
Mark A. Goodman M.D.
Mark A. Goodman M.D. is a retired orthopedic oncologist who has been involved with PCS since 2012 and currently serves as the Chairperson of the PCS Board of Directors. In addition to treating individuals diagnosed with sarcoma, Dr. Goodman is a strong proponent of the research and science behind understanding the disease. He is committed to seeing PCS grow and prosper in its support of sarcoma research and advocacy. Dr. Goodman is honored to be able to champion the world renowned and dedicated sarcoma researchers in western Pennsylvania and West Virginia who are impacting our knowledge of sarcoma.
Giuseppe (Beppe) Intini, DDS, MS, PhD
Giuseppe (Beppe) Intini, DDS, MS, PhD is an Associate Professor in the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh and Associate Professor of Medicine (Division of Hematology/Oncology) at the Medical School. Dr. Intini’s research agenda involves the study of bone biology and cancer biology (osteosarcoma). His research is funded by the NIH, NASA, and by grants from other entities, including Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma and the Osteosarcoma Institute. Recently he received funds from the University of Pittsburgh to co-direct and further develop the Pittsburgh Center for Interdisciplinary Bone and Mineral Research, whose goal is to facilitate the establishment of multidisciplinary research teams across the University of Pittsburgh and other regional universities.
Dr. Ivy John
Dr. Ivy John, Director of the Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology Center at UPMC, completed her medical education at Kasturba Medical College and residency at SUNY Upstate Medical University, where she served as Chief Resident. Following fellowships at Mayo Clinic and UPMC, she joined the University of Pittsburgh faculty in 2017, where she currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Pathology. Dr. John's expertise lies in adult bone and soft tissue sarcomas. She has authored over 40 publications, including chapters in the WHO Classification of Tumors series. She has presented lectures/courses at national and international levels and serves on several boards, including USCAP Abstract Review Board and the Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma Advisory Board. She was the recipient of the 2020 Teacher of the Year Award.
Sarah Taylor, MD, PhD
Sarah Taylor, MD, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Gynecologic Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh and provides clinical care through surgery and the medical treatment of gynecologic cancers at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Her research is concentrated on developing new therapies to treat gynecologic cancers. Nationally, Dr. Taylor works with the National Cancer Institute, NRG Oncology and pharmaceutical companies to run clinical trials. She came to be involved with Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma through her research to develop novel therapeutic approaches for uterine sarcomas, specifically leiomyosarcomas. This has led to wonderful new collaborations with dedicated sarcoma researchers in Pittsburgh and around the world.
Jessica Daley, MD
Dr. Jessica Daley is an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and physician scientist in the Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology with a research focus on the immunobiology of pediatric sarcomas. Her current research focuses on Ewing sarcoma and understanding the tumor immune microenvironment of this rare, aggressive adolescent and young adult cancer. Most recently her work has focused on the role of the immunosuppressive cytokine TGF-beta in modulating the Ewing sarcoma tumor microenvironment and identifying opportunities to capitalize on these findings to improve the efficacy of immune modulating therapies. In addition to her translational research in Ewing sarcoma, Dr. Daley also helps to lead the Adolescent and Young Adult oncology working group, a shared program between UPMC Children's and Hillman Cancer Center aiming to improve the care of adolescent and young adult patients with cancer at our institution. Dr. Daley is a member of the Children's Oncology Group bone tumor committee and through this group helped to publish recent work outlining proposed new approaches for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma.
Benjamin Nacev, MD PhD
Benjamin Nacev, MD PhD is a laboratory-based physician scientist with a focus on sarcoma medical oncology and chromatin dysregulation in cancer. As an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, he directs a research program focused on studying sarcoma-associated alterations in genes that regulate the epigenome. In the medical oncology clinic, Dr. Nacev cares for adult patients with sarcomas, an experience which motivates and inspires his laboratory research program. Dr. Nacev was the recipient of a PCS grant in 2023. That funding helps to support his research program’s ultimate goal of developing better treatments for patients with sarcomas.
Kurt R. Weiss, MD
Kurt R. Weiss, MD is an Associate Professor in the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Co-Director of the Musculoskeletal Oncology Laboratory. Dr. Weiss is a proud founding member of PCS and of the Pittsburgh Sarcoma Research Collaborative (PSaRC), a multidisciplinary team of physicians and scientists from across the University of Pittsburgh community with the common goal of developing a world-class sarcoma translational research program. Dr. Weiss, who is a sarcoma survivor, surgeon, and scientist, was instrumental in creating The Musculoskeletal Oncology Tumor Registry and Tissue Bank (MOTOR) which is one of the largest sarcoma tissue repositories in the world and supports the research of sarcoma scientists both here in Pittsburgh and beyond.