Grace Blitzer

Biography

I am an assistant professor in the Department of Human Oncology at the University of Wisconsin. I specialize in treating patients with head and neck cancer, sarcoma, and certain benign conditions such as osteoarthritis. I am a member of the both the UW Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Program as well as the multidisciplinary sarcoma team at UW. As a radiation oncologist, I collaborate with surgeons, medical oncologists, radiologists, pathologists and other specialists to provide patients with the best care possible. I am proud to work at the Carbone Cancer Center where we can provide patients state-of-the-art treatments including intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), and multiple clinical trials. I also provide low-dose radiation for osteoarthritis as well as radiation for several other non-malignant conditions. In addition to my clinical pursuits, I am also a translational researcher. I am interested in designing clinical trials that bring research from the laboratory to the clinic in order to directly benefit my patients. I have written several clinical trials, including two investigating the use of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) to treat radiation-induced dry mouth in patients who underwent radiation therapy for head and neck cancer. I have also written multiple clinical trials investigating shortened courses of radiation to treat sarcoma patients. Through my partnership with my laboratory collaborators, I hope to bring improved treatments into the clinic for my patients.