Nominated by Tony W. Tsai, MD ’05 

Rachna T. Shroff, MD ’04, MS, is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Chief of GI Medical Oncology at the University of Arizona Cancer (UACC). She also serves as the Director of UACC’s Clinical Trials Office and as the Vice Chair of Clinical Research for the Department of Medicine. She came to UACC from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, where she served as faculty from 2010-2018 after completing her medical oncology fellowship there.

Dr. Shroff is a clinical and translational investigator focused on developing novel therapies for pancreatic and biliary cancers. She holds multiple positions nationally due to her expertise in these areas, including serving as the Hepatobiliary Subcommittee Co-chair for the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) and as a Program Committee member for GI ASCO. She also is a member of the Scientific and Medical Advisory Board for the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation. Dr. Shroff has led numerous clinical trials focusing on pancreaticobiliary tumors and is the national PI for SWOG 1815 which is investigating a triplet chemotherapy regimen as a potential new standard of care for biliary cancers. This is based on a phase 2 study she led that is now published in JAMA Oncology. Dr. Shroff has been invited to speak at national and international meetings on topics related to targeted therapies for pancreatic and biliary cancers and numerous peer-reviewed publications in this area.

Nominated by Lorraine C. King, MD, Residency ’75, Fellowship ’77  

Ronald J. Wapner, MD ’72, is the Vice Chair of Research in Obstetrics and Gynecology for Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Director of Women’s Genetics.

Dr. Wapner is an internationally known physician and researcher specializing in reproductive genetics. He pioneered the development of multiple prenatal diagnostic procedures currently used today including chorionic villus sampling (CVS), multi-fetal reduction, chromosomal microarray, and fetal sequencing. He has authored or co-authored over 500 publications. He is either a principal or co-investigator for a number of NICHD sponsored multi-centered studies. He has led a multicenter trial evaluating the accuracy, efficacy, and clinical advantages of prenatal diagnosis using microarray analysis. He published the first large study evaluating whole exome sequencing for the genetic diagnosis of fetal anomalies and most recently evaluated the use of whole exome sequencing for stillbirth. The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine has honored Dr. Wapner with both a Lifetime Achievement Award (2015) and The Dru Carlson Memorial Award for Best Research in Ultrasound and Genetics (2017). He has had a significant role in the development of multidisciplinary research studies and clinical research centers throughout his career.