Biography
I serve as the Paul Harari Endowed Professor and Chair of the Department of Radiation Medicine. I am originally from Rockford, IL, and completed my undergraduate studies at Ripon College in Ripon, WI. After my undergraduate work, I earned two Master’s degrees (Medical Anthropology and History of Science, Medicine, and Technology) at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. I completed my MD at Harvard Medical School and my PhD at Harvard University in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program, where I performed thesis research in the laboratory of Prof. Andrea McClatchey.
I completed a preliminary year internship in internal medicine at the University of Hawaii and then completed my residency training in radiation oncology at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics. As a physician-scientist, my clinical focus is on the treatment of patients with skin cancer, sarcomas, and other types of benign and malignant conditions that can be effectively treated with radiation therapy. My translational research laboratory investigates the immuno-biological effect of diverse forms of radiation therapy including radiopharmaceuticals. I am actively involved in clinical research with a particular focus on advancing the curative potential of treatments for challenging cancers through mechanism-guided therapeutic combinations of radiation and immunotherapies.
Clinical specialties
- Tomotherapy
- MRI-Guided Radiation
- Skin Cancer and Melanoma
Research interests
In the Morris Lab, we are focused on using preclinical and translational research to study the mechanisms whereby radiation may impact the anti-tumor immune response. Our primary objective is to determine whether and how radiation may optimally be delivered, either alone or in combination with additional therapeutic modalities such as immunotherapies. We seek to test these approaches in early phase clinical studies where they may be further refined with the ultimate aim of improving survival and achieving cures in patients with metastatic cancers.
Key areas of focus include:
- Investigation of intratumorally injected immune adjuvants for shaping the local and systemic anti-tumor immune response following radiation therapy
- Assessment of the effects of radiopharmaceuticals on the tumor-immune microenvironment and the impact the these on anti-tumor immune response
- Evaluation of radiotherapy dose-response relationships and the effects of dose heterogeneity, with a particular focus on the tumor-immune microenvironment and anti-tumor immunity
- Development of novel therapeutics and therapeutic combinations for difficult to treat cancers
Education
- Resident, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Radiation Oncology
- Intern, University of Hawaii, Internal Medicine
- MD, Harvard Medical School, Medicine
- PhD, Harvard University, Biological and Biomedical Sciences
- MSc, Oxford University, History of Science, Medicine and Technology
- MSc, Oxford University, Medical Anthropology
- BA, Ripon College, Chemistry and Biology