The Solid Tumor Oncology Department at Taussig Cancer Institute is focused on groundbreaking research and excellent clinical care, with a strong commitment to the community through health screenings and educational programs.
Our department specializes in Brain and Spinal Cord Tumors, Breast Cancer, Genitourinary Cancers, Gastrointestinal Cancers, Head and Neck Cancers, Lung Cancers, Melanoma, Ophthalmic Oncology, and Palliative Medicine.
Patients with a complex, life-threatening illness often have unrelieved cancer symptoms and significant physical difficulties sometime during their illness. Specially trained staff in the Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute coordinate the complex medical care for patients as they face the physical and psychological challenges associated with their illness and the pain related to cancer symptoms.
If you are 75 or older and have been diagnosed with cancer, you may benefit from a specialized assessment at Taussig Cancer Institute's Geriatric Oncology Clinic. The assessment is designed to identify and manage problems related to a cancer diagnosis and treatment that may otherwise get overlooked. The assessment's goal is to improve your quality of life, offer reassurance to you and your family, and empower you to make informed health care decisions.
Our Physicians
Chairman of Solid Tumor Oncology
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Robert Dreicer, MD, FACP, is Chairman of the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Cleveland Clinic and a Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. Dr. Dreicer is board-certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. His areas of specialization are the management of genitourinary malignancies and the design and conduct of clinical trials in urologic oncology.
Dr. Dreicer received his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He completed an internal medicine residency at Indiana University in Indianapolis, followed by a medical oncology fellowship at the University of Wisconsin Clinical Cancer Center in Madison, Wisconsin. In 1989, Dr. Dreicer joined the Division of Hematology/Oncology at the University of Iowa and upon his departure, he was a tenured Associate Professor of Medicine and Associate Division Director of Hematology/Oncology.
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David Adelstein, MD, is a Staff Physician in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Taussig Cancer Institute, and he is a Professor of Medicine in the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Dr. Adelstein is also Co-Chairman of the National Cancer Institute Head and Neck Cancer Steering Committee.
Dr. Adelstein completed his undergraduate education at the University of Chicago, his medical school training at New York University School of Medicine, and his internship, residency and hematology/oncology fellowship at Case Western Reserve University Hospitals.
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Steven Andresen, DO, has been a Staff Physician in the Department of the Hematologic Oncology & Blood Disorders since 1987, and has a secondary appointment in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology. Dr. Andresen attended the University of Iowa and received his medical degree from the University of Osteopathic Medicine and Health Sciences in Des Moines, Iowa.
His specialty interests include Bone Marrow Transplantation, Breast Cancer, and Hematologic Malignancies.
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George Thomas Budd, MD, is a staff physician at Cleveland Clinic's Taussig Cancer Institute. His clinical interests include breast cancer, sarcomas, experimental therapeutics, and research.
Dr. Budd received his medical degree from the University of Kansas Medical School. He completed his internship, residency, and fellowship in medical oncology at Cleveland Clinic.
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Mellar Davis, M.D., received his undergraduate degree at Otterbein University, and his medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. He completed an internship and residency at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, OH and a fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
His specialty interests include pain management, cancer pain, palliative medicine, hospice, symptom control, supportive cancer care, cancer related fatigue, cancer anorexia and weight loss, lung cancer, paraproteinemias and amyloidosis.
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Bassam Estfan, MD, received his medical degree at Damascus University-Faculty of Medicine in Damascus, Syria. He completed a residency at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch, NJ and two fellowships at the Cleveland Clinic: Palliative Medicine and Medical Oncology.
His specialty interests include pain management, cancer pain, cancer related fatigue, cancer anorexia and weight loss, palliative medicine, hospice, symptom control, and cancer supportive care.
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Jorge Garcia, MD, received his undergraduate degree at Calasanz College in Santa Fe de Bogota, Colombia and his medical degree at Escuela Colombiana de Medicina in Santa Fe De Bogota, Colombia. He completed a fellowship at Harvard Medical School, an internship and a residency at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and two fellowships in Hematology/Medical Oncology and Urologic Oncology at the University of California San Francisco Medical Center.
His specialty interests include clinical trials, experimental therapeutics, and genitourinary malignancies.
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Timothy Gilligan, MD, is a Medical Oncologist at Cleveland Clinic's main campus in Cleveland, Ohio. He is board-certified in medical oncology and internal medicine and specializes in cancers of the testicles, bladder, prostate and kidneys as well as in problems related to cancer survivorship.
Dr. Gilligan has published over half a dozen original scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, has written several review articles and book chapters and has given numerous lectures on genitourinary cancers and biomedical ethics.
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Mona Gupta, MD, earned her medical degree at Lady Hardinge Medical College & Associated Hospitals in New Delhi, India. She completed an internship in Anesthesiology at Maulana Azad Medical College Associated Hospitals, two residencies at Huron Hospital, and a fellowship in Geriatric Medicine, Hematology/Medical Oncology, and Palliative Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic.
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Terence Gutgsell, MD, earned his medical degree at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 1972 and completed his internal medicine residency at the A.B. Chandler University of Kentucky Medical Center in 1976. He left his practice of internal medicine in 1995 to complete a palliative medicine fellowship at Cleveland Clinic in 1996.
He served as Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer at Hospice of the Bluegrass, and Medical Director of the Hospice Care Center at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington, Ky., from 1996-2007. From 1999-2007, he was Medical Director of the Palliative Care Center of the Bluegrass and Medical Director of the Palliative Care Unit at Central Baptist Hospital. His work with Hospice of the Bluegrass and local hospitals in Lexington led to designation of the Palliative Care Center of the Bluegrass as one of six nationally recognized Robert Wood Johnson Palliative Care Leadership Centers (PCLC).
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Nooshin Hashemi Sadraei, MD, earned her medical degree at Tehran University School of Medicine in Tehran, Iran. She completed a residency at the State University of New York at Stony Brook in Internal Medicine, and a fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.
Her specialty interests include lung cancer, thyroid cancer, and thymoma.
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Ruth Lagman, MD, was born in Manilla, Philippines. She finished her Bachelor of Science in Zoology from the University of the Philippines in 1982. She obtained her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Santo Tomas, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, in Manila in 1986. She then spent a year in a clinical-internship followed by a brief stint as a volunteer physician in rural Philippines. Her experience in rural Philippines motivated her to pursue a master’s degree in Public Health at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale University with a concentration in the epidemiology of infectious disease. The degree was conferred in 1993 upon completion of her master's thesis.
Dr. Lagman did her internal medicine residency at the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Conn., from 1990-1993. She then returned home to the Philippines and spent a year teaching at the College of Medicine at Angeles University in Pampanga, Philippines. In 1995, she entered the clinical fellowship program in Palliative Care at Cleveland Clinic. She then spent the next few years in private practice, with general internal medicine in the greater Chicago area. She returned to Cleveland, Ohio, in July 2001 to join the medical staff of the Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine, Department of Hematology and Oncology, at Cleveland Clinic.
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A native of South Carolina, Susan LeGrand, MD, joined Cleveland Clinic's pioneering Palliative Medicine program in 1998. Prior to this, she had a solo oncology practice in North Carolina. She received her undergraduate and medical education at the University of South Carolina, graduating cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. She received the Behavioral Sciences Award in her first year of medical school. Dr. LeGrand is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hospice and palliative medicine. She was elected a Fellow of the American College of Physicians in 2002.
Dr. LeGrand has been a leader in palliative medicine fellowship education, co-chairing a workgroup to develop standards for fellowship training. She spearheaded the development of a Forum for Program Directors under the auspices of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and chaired that group through its infancy. She is a Master Facilitator for the Education in Palliative and End of Life Care program and was the palliative medicine representative on the Robert Wood Johnson Workgroup to improve end-of-life care for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
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Patrick C. Ma, MD, MS, was appointed Associate Staff Physician in the Departments of Solid Tumor Oncology and Translational Hematology and Oncology Research in Cleveland Clinic's Taussing Cancer Institute in 2010. Dr. Ma is the Director of Aerodigestive Oncology Translational Research.
Dr. Ma received his undergraduate degree from University of Hong Kong. He received his graduate and medical degrees from University of Toronto. Dr. Ma studied for his residency at both Toronto General Hospital and Saint Elizabeth Medical Center in Boston, MA. He then completed two fellowships at Dana Farber and New England Medical Center (both in Boston, MA).
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Michael McNamara, MD, was appointed Associate Staff at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute in 2008. He completed his undergraduate degree at The Ohio State University and attended medical school at Case Western Reserve University. He then completed his internship, residency, and fellowship at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Some of his special interests include esophageal cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, and solid tumor disorders.
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Halle Moore, MD, is a Staff Physician in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Cleveland Clinic's Taussig Cancer Institute. She is also a clinical member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cancer Prevention, Control and Population Research Program.
Dr. Moore is board-certified in internal medicine, medical oncology and hematology. Her clinical practice focuses on the medical management of breast cancer. Her research involves the investigation of new treatments for breast cancer as well as the study of long-term effects of cancer treatment, including effects on fertility, bone health and cognitive function. In addition, Dr. Moore serves on the Board of Trustees for the Northern Ohio Breast Cancer Coalition.
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Kathleen Neuendorf, MD, earned her undergraduate degree at College of Wooster and her medical degree at Medical College of Ohio in Toledo. She completed a residency at Grant/Riverside Methodist Hospitals and a fellowship in Palliative Medicine at Medical College of Wisconsin Clinics
Some of her specialty interests include Palliative care in non-cancer diagnoses.
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Armida Parala-Metz, MD, earned her medical degree at University of the East in Manila, Phillipines. She completed a residency and a fellowship in geriatrics at Maimonides Medical Center and another fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
Some of her specialty interests include cancer pain, geriatrics, pain and symptom management, and palliative medicine.
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David Peereboom, MD, is a joint staff member at Cleveland Clinic’s Rose Ella Burkhardt Brain Tumor and Neuro-Oncology Center and Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. He is a medical oncologist specializing in the management of brain tumors.
A graduate of the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical College in Richmond, Va., Dr. Peereboom received his specialty training at University Hospitals of Cleveland and the Johns Hopkins Oncology Center in Baltimore. His specialty interests include neuro-oncology and experimental therapeutics.
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Robert J. Pelley, MD, is a Staff member in the Departments of Solid Tumor Oncology and Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders at Taussig Cancer Institute. Dr. Pelley is board-certified in internal medicine with subspecialties in hematology and medical oncology. His clinical interests include gastrointestinal tumors.
Dr. Pelley received his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. He completed his internship, residency and fellowship in hematology and oncology at University Hospitals of Cleveland. Dr. Pelley served as Program Director of the Hematology/Medical Oncology Fellowship for nearly 10 years and continues to take an active role in the education of young hematologists and oncologists in training.
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Dr. Pennell is a board certified medical oncologist who joined the staff at Taussig Cancer Institute in 2008. He specializes in the treatment of thoracic malignancies with a focus on lung cancer. Dr. Pennell's research interests include clinical trials using novel therapies, with a goal of facilitating the movement of new treatments from the laboratory to the clinic.
In 1998, Dr. Pennell received his PhD in neuroscience and his medical degree in 2002 from the University of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, FL. Dr. Pennell completed his internal medicine residency in 2005 at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. His medical oncology fellowship training was completed in 2007 at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
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Brian I. Rini, MD, is an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. A Staff member of the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology, Dr. Rini’s work focuses on genitourinary malignancies.
Dr. Rini earned his medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine in Columbus, Ohio. After completing a residency program in internal medicine at University of Chicago Hospitals in Illinois, Dr. Rini was awarded a fellowship in hematology and oncology at the University of Chicago. Dr. Rini was an Assistant Professor at the University of California San Francisco before moving to Cleveland Clinic.
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Marc Shapiro, MD, was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended medical school at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo. He completed his internal medicine training at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and earned his board certification in internal medicine in 2001. Dr. Shapiro completed his specialty training in medical oncology and hematology at Fox Chase Cancer Center and Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. He is now a Staff member in the Department of Solid Tumor Oncology at Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Shapiro's clinical interests include the treatment of lung, breast, gastrointestinal and colon cancers.
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Dale Shepard, MD, PhD, received his doctorate at The Ohio State University, and later received his medical degree at The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health. He completed a Research Fellowship of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Chicago, and then later completed a residency and fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic.
Some of his specialty interests include genitourinary oncology, geriatric oncology, and experimental therapeutics.
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Pierre Triozzi is a Staff Member in the Departments of Solid Tumor Oncology and Hematologic Oncology and Blood Disorders at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute. He is also Professor of Medicine with the Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. His research interests include tumor immunology, cancer vaccines, biologic response modifiers, cellular immunotherapy, and clinical trials
Dr. Triozzi earned his medical degree from The Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health in Columbus, Ohio. He completed an internship, residency and hematology and oncology fellowship at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C.
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Declan Walsh, MD, MSc, FACP, FRCP, became the first Director of the new Palliative Care Program at Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute in 1987. In October 1991, the program was designated as a national and international demonstration project by the World Health Organization. He was elected a Fellow of the American College of Physicians in 1988 and a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh) in 1998.
In 1996, an endowed Chair of Palliative Medicine was created at Cleveland Clinic by the HRH Foundation with Dr. Walsh as the first incumbent. He became Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Clinic Home Care in 2000, was appointed Division Chairman for Post Acute Medicine in 2003, and was elected to Cleveland Clinic's Board of Governors in 2004. Dr. Walsh is a founding member of both the European Association of Palliative Care and the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
