Junior Faculty Spotlight
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Dr. Kristin Higgins is looking for ways to better manage patients with lung and head and neck cancer through integrating radiation therapy and novel treatment strategies. |
Kristin Higgins, MD
Dr. Kristin Higgins is a new Winship investigator and serves as an assistant professor in Emory School of Medicine’s department of radiation oncology. Dr. Higgins focuses of the management of patients with lung and head and neck cancer. Her research projects are aimed at optimizing radiation therapy for patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer and identifying novel treatment strategies. She was awarded a Kennedy Pilot Grant at Winship in 2012 to study the effect of cardiovascular exercise on lung tumor growth and cancer biology in a mouse model. Additionally, she has developed a Winship clinical trial testing ablative radiation techniques in the treatment of patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Dr. Higgins earned her medical degree at Tulane University and completed her internal medicine internship and radiation oncology residency at Duke University Medical Center. She received the Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award and joined Emory’s faculty in 2011. Dr. Higgins received her board certification in radiation oncology in 2012. "We are thrilled to have such a bright, young investigator on our team," said Dr. Walter J. Curran, Jr., Winship executive director and chair of the department of radiation oncology. "Kristin has an impressive background and is poised for a great future in our field. Indeed, she has already proven to be a great asset to our program here at Winship."
Dr. Higgins is passionate about improving outcomes for lung cancer patients. "This is a disease that touches so many of us. I hope that, at the end of my career, I can offer patients more effective treatments than what we have today. I'm fortunate to be a part of the Winship lung cancer group, as we are testing many novel treatment concepts. Winship is an exciting place to be."
