News Release: Emory Healthcare, Research, School of Medicine, Winship Cancer Institute
Jan. 21, 2009
Emory Announces New Director of Gynecologic Oncology
Sharmila Makhija, MDSharmila Makhija, MD, has joined Emory University School of Medicine and the Emory Winship Cancer Institute as director of gynecologic oncology. Makhija comes to Emory from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) where she served as associate professor of gynecology/oncology and associate scientist in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"Dr. Makhija is a dedicated mentor and teacher as well as an exceptional clinician," says Sara Berga, MD, chair of Emory's department of gynecology and obstetrics. "She is internationally recognized for her efforts in cancer prevention. Her arrival augments our ongoing collaborations with the Emory Winship Cancer Institute and expands our portfolio of cutting-edge therapies for women with cancer."
She is a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Clinician and Scholar and currently serves on the National Institutes of Health Clinical Oncology Study Section. Makhija is an active member of the HIV Prevention Trials Network, the International Society of Gynecologic Cancer and serves as an Ovarian Cancer grant reviewer for the U.S. Department of Defense.
Makhija earned her medical degree at UAB, completed a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Louisville Hospital in Kentucky and a fellowship in gynecology oncology at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
"We are very excited to announce Dr. Makhija's appointment," says Ira Horowitz, MD, medical director for Emory University Hospital and a gynecologic oncologist. "She is an exceptional and caring physician as well as an innovative and collaborative scientist."
Brian Leyland-Jones, MD, PhD, director of the Emory Winship Cancer Institute, says that Makhija brings a wealth of experience to an already strong faculty. "Dr. Makhija is a gifted clinician and scientist, and the entire cancer institute will benefit from her presence here," says Leyland-Jones.
Makhija's research interests include chemo-resistance in ovarian cancer and the development of novel, targeted therapeutics including monoclonal antibodies and gene therapies for ovarian cancer. Additional research interests include the extension of cervical cancer clinical trials to underserved women, particularly in India, as well as education and participation in the HIV Prevention Trials Network.
She has published numerous peer-reviewed scientific papers and review articles in journals including International Journal of Oncology, American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Oncogene and Women's Oncology Review.
###
The Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center of Emory University is an academic health science and service center focused on missions of teaching, research, health care and public service. Its components include schools of medicine, nursing, and public health; Yerkes National Primate Research Center; the Emory Winship Cancer Institute; and Emory Healthcare, the largest, most comprehensive health system in Georgia. The Woodruff Health Sciences Center has a $2.3 billion budget, 17,000 employees, 2,300 full-time and 1,900 affiliated faculty, 4,300 students and trainees, and a $4.9 billion economic impact on metro Atlanta.
Learn more about Emory’s health sciences:
Blog: http://emoryhealthblog.com
Twitter: @emoryhealthsci
Web: http://emoryhealthsciences.org
