Valerie Rusch Explained

Valerie W. Rusch
Birth Place:New York City, New York, US
Education:BA, Vassar College
MD, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Workplaces:Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, University of Washington, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Valerie W Rusch, MD, FACS, is an American thoracic surgeon who is currently the Miner Family Chair for Intrathoracic Cancers and Vice Chair for Clinical Research, Department of Surgery, at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.[1]

Early life and education

Originally from New York, NY, Rusch graduated from Lycée Français de New York and then attended Vassar College, graduating in 1971. She earned her MD at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. She completed her surgical residency training in general surgery and thoracic surgery at the University of Washington from 1975 to 1982 and a fellowship at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston.[2]

Academic career and accomplishments

After completing her training, she joined the faculty at University of Washington, serving as an Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.[3] In 1989, she was recruited to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center by Nael Martini, the Chief of the Thoracic Service in the Department of Surgery.[4] [5]

In 2004, she was a part of a team that identified EGFR mutations in patients with non-small cell lung cancer that responded to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (such as gefitinib and erlotinib)[6]

In 2015, the Meso Foundation honored Rusch with the Pioneer Award for clinical research in malignant mesothelioma.[7] Rusch was given the 2019 Earl Bakken Scientific Achievement award by the Society for Thoracic Surgeons.[8] This award was established in 1999 to honor individuals who have made outstanding scientific contributions that have enhanced the practice of cardiothoracic surgery and patients’ quality of life. She was elected President of the American College of Surgeons from 2019 to 2020.[9] She been Chair of the Thoracic Committee for the American Joint Committee on Cancer 6th, 7th, and 8th editions of the Cancer Staging Handbook.

Rusch has been an advocate for pre-operative therapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer and is a recognized expert in management of Pancoast tumors[10] Her work established the standard of care for management of Pancoast tumors [11] More recently, she has been on the forefront of work incorporating immunotherapy into pre-operative treatment for early stage non-small cell lung cancer [12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Valerie W. Rusch Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center . 2022-07-05 . www.mskcc.org . en.
  2. Web site: 19th Annual Visiting Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery is cancer specialist Dr. Valerie Rusch of Sloan-Kettering . UW News . en.
  3. Web site: Serendipity Plays a Role in a Journey to a Noted Career in Surgical Oncology - The ASCO Post . ascopost.com.
  4. Web site: #116: Same Surgeon, Different Light S2: Dr. Valerie Rusch STS . www.sts.org.
  5. Web site: 19th Annual Visiting Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery is cancer specialist Dr. Valerie Rusch of Sloan-Kettering .
  6. Pao . W . Miller . V . Zakowski . M . Doherty . J . Politi . K . Sarkaria . I . Singh . B . Heelan . R . Rusch . V . Fulton . L . Mardis . E . Kupfer . D . Wilson . R . Kris . M . Varmus . H . EGF receptor gene mutations are common in lung cancers from "never smokers" and are associated with sensitivity of tumors to gefitinib and erlotinib. . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America . 7 September 2004 . 101 . 36 . 13306–11 . 10.1073/pnas.0405220101 . 15329413. 516528 . 2004PNAS..10113306P . free .
  7. Web site: Valerie W. Rusch, MD, FACS, elected to serve as 2018–2019 American College of Surgeons president-elect . Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation . 14 November 2018.
  8. Web site: Valerie W. Rusch Receives Bakken Scientific Achievement Award STS . www.sts.org.
  9. Web site: Valerie W. Rusch, MD, FACS, installed as 2019–2020 ACS President . The Bulletin . 1 November 2019.
  10. Rusch . VW . Management of Pancoast tumours. . The Lancet. Oncology . December 2006 . 7 . 12 . 997–1005 . 10.1016/S1470-2045(06)70974-3 . 17138221.
  11. Rusch . VW . Giroux . DJ . Kraut . MJ . Crowley . J . Hazuka . M . Winton . T . Johnson . DH . Shulman . L . Shepherd . F . Deschamps . C . Livingston . RB . Gandara . D . Induction chemoradiation and surgical resection for superior sulcus non-small-cell lung carcinomas: long-term results of Southwest Oncology Group Trial 9416 (Intergroup Trial 0160). . Journal of Clinical Oncology . 20 January 2007 . 25 . 3 . 313–8 . 10.1200/JCO.2006.08.2826 . 17235046.
  12. Forde . PM . Chaft . JE . Smith . KN . Anagnostou . V . Cottrell . TR . Hellmann . MD . Zahurak . M . Yang . SC . Jones . DR . Broderick . S . Battafarano . RJ . Velez . MJ . Rekhtman . N . Olah . Z . Naidoo . J . Marrone . KA . Verde . F . Guo . H . Zhang . J . Caushi . JX . Chan . HY . Sidhom . JW . Scharpf . RB . White . J . Gabrielson . E . Wang . H . Rosner . GL . Rusch . V . Wolchok . JD . Merghoub . T . Taube . JM . Velculescu . VE . Topalian . SL . Brahmer . JR . Pardoll . DM . Neoadjuvant PD-1 Blockade in Resectable Lung Cancer. . The New England Journal of Medicine . 24 May 2018 . 378 . 21 . 1976–1986 . 10.1056/NEJMoa1716078 . 29658848. 6223617 .

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