Download CV or Biosketch - UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center

OMB No. 0925-0001/0002 (Rev. 08/12 Approved Through 8/31/2015)
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Provide the following information for the Senior/key personnel and other significant contributors.
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NAME: Satish Gopal
eRA COMMONS USER NAME (credential, e.g., agency login): satish_gopal
POSITION TITLE: Cancer Program Director, UNC Project-Malawi
EDUCATION/TRAINING (Begin with baccalaureate or other initial professional education, such as nursing,
include postdoctoral training and residency training if applicable. Add/delete rows as necessary.)
DEGREE
Completion
Date
FIELD OF STUDY
INSTITUTION AND LOCATION
(if
applicable)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC
BA
05/1997
Biology/music
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC
MPH
05/2000
Public health
Duke University, Durham NC
MD
05/2001
Medicine
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor MI
Residency
06/2005
Medicine/pediatrics
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC
Fellowship
06/2011
Infectious diseases
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill NC
Fellowship
06/2012
Medical oncology
MM/YYYY
A. Personal Statement
I am a medical oncologist and infectious diseases physician. I have lived in Malawi with my family since 2012,
where I am the only medical oncologist in a country of ~18 million people. I am an AIDS Malignancy
Consortium investigator, a Cancer Working Group member for the Centers for AIDS Research Network of
Integrated Clinical Systems network (CNICS), and a Cancer Working Group member for the International
Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) network, an NIH-funded consortium of HIV cohorts
worldwide. I am an Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Malawi College of Medicine. I am PI for a
large multicenter HIV-associated lymphoma cohort study in CNICS, and PI for the Kamuzu Central Hospital
Lymphoma Study, one of the first large clinical cohorts of lymphoproliferative disorders in sub-Saharan Africa. I
am PI for the NIH U54 Malawi Cancer Consortium, a broad national effort focused on developing capacity for
HIV-associated cancer research, and conducting high-impact research for Kaposi sarcoma and lymphoma in
Malawi. I am PI for a new NCI P20 planning grant to establish a Regional Center of Research Excellence for
non-communicable diseases in Malawi. I am also PI for an NCI supplement award to help establish Malawi as
a site for a planned Burkitt Lymphoma Trial Network. I am uniquely qualified to lead the work outlined in this
proposal focused on infectious complications of cancer treatment in Malawi, where HIV prevalence among
cancer patients is high. Additionally, I have close collaborative relationships with all co-investigators and the
demonstrated ability to lead multidisciplinary clinical research teams spanning the United States and Malawi.
1. Gopal S, Wood WA, Lee SJ, Shea TC, Naresh KN, Kazembe PN, Casper C, Hesseling PB, Mitsuyasu RT.
Meeting the challenge of hematologic malignancies in sub-Saharan Africa. Blood 2012;119:5078-87.
PMC4507039.
2. Gopal S, Achenbach CJ, Yanik EL, Dittmer DP, Eron JJ, Engels EA. Moving forward in HIV-associated
cancer. J Clin Oncol 2014;32:876-80. PMC3948093.
3. Gopal S, Fedoriw Y, Montgomery ND, Kampani C, Krysiak R, Sanders MK, Dittmer DP, Liomba NG.
Multicentric Castleman Disease in Malawi. Lancet 2014;384:1158. PMC4470481.
4. Gopal S. Moonshot to Malawi. N Engl J Med 2016;374:1604-5. PMC4871710.
5. Chinula L, Moses A, Gopal S. HIV-associated malignancies in sub-Saharan Africa: progress, challenges,
and opportunities. Curr Opin HIV AIDS 2017;12:89-95. PMC5241291.
B. Positions and Honors
1
Positions and Employment
2005-2007
Hospitalist Clinician-Educator, Department of Internal Medicine, Norwalk Hospital, Norwalk,
Connecticut
2007-2009
Pediatric AIDS Corps Physician, Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative, Moshi, Tanzania
2009-2013
Clinical Fellow, Divisions of Hematology-Oncology and Infectious Diseases, University of North
Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2013-2017
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Divisions of Hematology-Oncology and Infectious
Diseases, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
2013Honorary Senior Lecturer, Department of Medicine, University of Malawi College of Medicine,
Blantyre, Malawi
2017Associate Professor of Medicine, Divisions of Hematology-Oncology and Infectious Diseases,
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Honors
1993-1997
2001
2001
2004-2005
2012
2012
2012
2013
2013
Davie Scholar, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hippocratic Oath Ceremony Student Speaker, Duke University School of Medicine
Intern of the Month, University of Michigan Department of Internal Medicine
Chief Resident, University of Michigan Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program
Lineberger Clinical Fellows Award
Fogarty Global Health Fellowship
Fogarty International Research Scientist Development Award
AIDS Malignancy Consortium Fellowship (inaugural year)
North Carolina Cancer Hospital Endowment Fund Award
Other Experience and Professional Memberships
1999-2000
Service Chair, Duke University School of Medicine Davison Council
2009Member, Infectious Disease Society of America
2010Member, American Society of Clinical Oncology
2010Member, American Society of Hematology
2011-2012
Invited contributor, US Department of Health and Human Services Panel on Antiretroviral
Guidelines for Adults and Adolescents
2012Reviewer, AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses, PLoS One, Antiviral Therapy, Nature
Reviews Clinical Oncology, Infectious Agents and Cancer, Journal of Clinical Oncology,
Emerging Infectious Diseases, BMC Cancer, AIDS, Journal of AIDS, International Journal of
STD & AIDS, Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Journal of Medical Virology, Journal of
Oncology Practice, International Journal of Cancer, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Leukemia &
Lymphoma, Cancer Medicine, BMC Infectious Diseases, Journal of Global Oncology, Journal of
the National Cancer Institute, Pediatric Blood & Cancer, BMC Infectious Diseases, Blood,
Lancet HIV, BMC Health Services Research, Journal of Clinical Investigation
2012Member, Cancer Working Group, CNICS
2013Member, Cancer Working Group, IeDEA
2013Member, AIDS Malignancy Consortium Lymphoma Working Group, HPV Working Group,
Kaposi Sarcoma Working Group, Non-AIDS Defining Cancer Task Force
2012Research mentor, Fogarty Global Health Fellows Program, Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowships in
Public Health
2015
Reviewer, UNC Lineberger Developmental Awards
2016
Reviewer, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health Innovation Lab Awards
2016
Reviewer, Thrasher Research Fund
2016
Reviewer, NCI/AORTIC BIG CAT grants program
2017
Reviewer, NCI Collaborative Consortia for the Study of HIV-Associated Cancers: US and Lowand Middle-Income Country (LMIC) Partnerships (U54), RFA-CA-16-018
2017
Lymphoma session co-chair, African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer biannual
international conference
C. Contribution to Science
1. HIV-associated lymphoma in the US. I initiated a large HIV-associated lymphoma study in the Centers for
AIDS Research Network of Integrated Clinical Systems (CNICS) multicenter cohort. This led to a
description of temporal trends in the US HIV-associated lymphoma population in the modern antiretroviral
2
therapy (ART) era. We demonstrated patients were less immunosuppressed with better HIV control at
lymphoma diagnosis, with changing histologic distribution. We also found outcomes differed based on ART
exposure at lymphoma diagnosis, suggesting tumor biology differs across varying immunologic contexts.
We are now interrogating these findings through NCI-funded sequencing studies of pre-ART and post-ART
lymphoma specimens drawn from CNICS and Malawi. Our work also demonstrated higher cumulative HIV
viremia immediately after lymphoma diagnosis has adverse effects on survival, suggesting suppressive
ART concurrently with chemotherapy improves outcomes. Additionally, we published the first description of
the HIV-associated lymphoma immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.
a. Gopal S, Patel MR, Yanik EL, Cole SR, Achenbach CJ, Napravnik S, Burkholder GA, Reid EG,
Rodriguez B, Deeks SG, Mayer KH, Moore RD, Kitahata MM, Richards KL, Eron JJ. Association of
early HIV viremia with mortality after HIV-associated lymphoma. AIDS 2013;27:2365-73. PMC3773290.
b. Gopal S, Patel MR, Yanik EL, Cole SR, Achenbach CJ, Napravnik S, Burkholder GA, Reid EG,
Rodriguez B, Deeks SG, Mayer KH, Moore RD, Kitahata MM, Eron JJ, Richards KL. Temporal trends in
presentation and survival for HIV-associated lymphoma in the combination antiretroviral therapy era. J
Natl Cancer Inst 2013;105:1221-9. PMC3748003.
c. Gopal S, Patel MR, Achenbach CJ, Yanik EL, Cole SR, Napravnik S, Burkholder GA, Mathews WC,
Rodriguez B, Deeks SG, Mayer KH, Moore RD, Kitahata MM, Richards KL, Eron JJ. Lymphoma
Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome in the Center for AIDS Research Network of Integrated
Clinical Systems Cohort. Clin Infect Dis 2014;59:279-86. PMC4102912.
d. Yanik EL, Achenbach CJ, Gopal S, Coghill AE, Cole SR, Eron JJ, Moore RD, Mathews WC, Drozd DR,
Hamdan A, Ballestas ME, Engels EA. Changes in clinical context for Kaposi sarcoma and non-Hodgkin
lymphoma among HIV-infected people in the United States. J Clin Oncol 2016;34:3276-83.
PMC5024548.
2. Cancer diagnosis in sub-Saharan Africa. After joining the UNC faculty and moving to Lilongwe in 2012, I
initiated efforts to improve diagnostic pathology services for cancer at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH), a
national teaching hospital in the capital. This included implementation and expansion of
immunistochemistry (IHC), and developing real-time telepathology involving clinicians and pathologists in
the US and Malawi. This resulted in one of the first descriptions from the region of developing a de novo
pathology laboratory with effective use of telepathology, description of pathologic disease burden in
Malawi, and demonstration that telepathology plus limited IHC results in excellent diagnostic accuracy
compared to US review, even after application of additional IHC stains and molecular diagnostic tools.
a. Gopal S, Krysiak R, Liomba G. Building a pathology laboratory in Malawi. Lancet Oncol 2013;14:291-2.
PMID: 23561742.
b. Gopal S, Krysiak R, Liomba NG, Horner M, Shores C, Alide N, Kamiza S, Kampani C, Chimzimu F,
Fedoriw Y, Dittmer DP, Hosseinipour MC, Hoffman IF. Early experience after developing a pathology
laboratory in Malawi, with emphasis on cancer diagnoses. PLoS One 2013;8:e70361. PMC3737192.
c. Montgomery ND, Graham T, Krysiak R, Kampani C, Liomba NG, Gopal S, Fedoriw Y. Comparison of
eosinophil density in staging bone marrow biopsies from Malawi and the United States. Pathol Int
2015;65:671-3. PMC4668204.
d. Montgomery ND, Liomba NG, Kampani C, Krysiak R, Stanley CC, Tomoka T, Kamiza S, Dhungel BM,
Gopal S, Fedoriw Y. Accurate Real-Time Diagnosis of Lymphoproliferative Disorders in Malawi
Through Clinicopathologic Teleconferences: A Model for Pathology Services in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Am J Clin Pathol 2016;146:423-30. PMC5040876.
3. Lymphoma in sub-Saharan Africa. I am PI of the NIH-funded KCH Lymphoma Study initiated in June 2013.
This is one of the first, large, prospective lymphoma cohorts from sub-Saharan Africa. All diagnoses are
pathologically confirmed, and patients are longitudinally followed for five years after diagnosis, with
transport reimbursements and active tracing to optimize retention, resulting in negligible loss-to-follow-up to
date. All patients undergo systematic clinical, laboratory, and radiologic assessments while receiving care
under local conditions. After initial diagnosis, tumor and plasma specimens undergo virologic, biomarker,
and sequencing studies with basic science collaborators in the US. The study has resulted in the first
descriptions of anthracycline-based treatment for pediatric Burkitt lymphoma in sub-Saharan Africa, and
the first prospective study of CHOP chemotherapy for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma among adults
with and without HIV in the modern ART era.
a. Stanley CC, Westmoreland KD, Heimlich BJ, El-Mallawany NK, Wasswa P, Mtete I, Butia M, Itimu S,
Chasela M, Mtunda M, Chikasema M, Makwakwa V, Kaimila B, Kasonkanji E, Chimzimu F, Kampani C,
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Dhungel BM, Krysiak R, Montgomery ND, Fedoriw Y, Rosenberg NE, Liomba NG, Gopal S. Outcomes
for paediatric Burkitt lymphoma treated with anthracycline-based therapy in Malawi. Br J Haematol
2016;173:705-12. PMC4884132.
b. Gopal S, Fedoriw Y, Kaimila B, Montgomery ND, Kasonkanji E, Moses A, Nyasosela R, Mzumara S,
Varela C, Chikasema M, Makwakwa V, Itimu S, Tomoka T, Kamiza S, Dhungel BM, Chimzimu F,
Kampani C, Krysiak R, Richards KL, Shea TC, Liomba NG. CHOP Chemotherapy for Aggressive NonHodgkin Lymphoma with and without HIV in the Antiretroviral Therapy Era in Malawi. PLoS One
2016;11:e0150445. PMC4775030.
c. Westmoreland KD, Stanley CC, Montgomery ND, Kaimila B, Kasonkanji E, El-Mallawany NK, Wasswa
P, Mtete I, Butia M, Itimu S, Chasela M, Mtunda M, Chikasema M, Makwakwa V, Kampani C, Dhungel
BM, Sanders MK, Krysiak R, Tomoka T, Liomba NG, Dittmer DP, Fedoriw Y, Gopal S. Hodgkin
lymphoma, HIV, and Epstein-Barr virus in Malawi: Longitudinal results from the Kamuzu Central
Hospital Lymphoma study. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2016 Oct 26. doi: 10.1002/pbc.26302. [Epub ahead of
print]. PMID: 27781380.
d. Westmoreland KD, Montgomery ND, Stanley CC, El-Mallawany NK, Wasswa P, van der Gronde T,
Mtete I, Butia M, Itimu S, Chasela M, Mtunda M, Kampani C, Liomba NG, Tomoka T, Dhungel BM,
Sander MK, Krysiak R, Kazembe P, Dittmer DP, Fedoriw Y, Gopal S. Plasma Epstein-Barr virus DNA
for pediatric Burkitt lymphoma diagnosis, prognosis, and response assessment in Malawi. Int J Cancer
2017;140:2509-2516. PMID: 28268254.
4. Kaposi sarcoma (KS) in sub-Saharan Africa. I am PI for the NIH U54 UNC-Malawi Cancer Consortium
initiated in September 2014. The consortium builds on existing partnerships to address herpesvirusassociated cancers, specifically lymphoma and Kaposi sarcoma. In collaboration with the Malawi National
Cancer Registry, we are conducting a national HIV-cancer record linkage study to assess trends in KS risk
in the ART era. Through consortium activities, we are also undertaking studies to better understand clinical,
virologic, and molecular correlates of KS outcomes. In particular, we are interested in potential
contributions of other under-recognized diseases that are also associated with the KS-associated
herpesvirus apart from KS itself, like multicentric Castleman disease, a condition for which our group has
provided some of the first clinical descriptions from sub-Saharan Africa.
a. Gopal S, Fedoriw Y, Montgomery ND, Kampani C, Krysiak R, Sanders MK, Dittmer DP, Liomba NG.
Multicentric Castleman Disease in Malawi. Lancet 2014;384:1158. PMC4470481.
b. Herce ME, Kalanga N, Wroe EB, Keck JW, Chingoli F, Tengatenga L, Gopal S, Phiri A, Mailosi B,
Bazile J, Beste JA, Elmore SN, Crocker JT, Rigodon J. Excellent clinical outcomes and retention in
care for adults with HIV-associated Kaposi sarcoma treated with systemic chemotherapy and integrated
antiretroviral therapy in rural Malawi. J Int AIDS Soc 2015;18:19929. PMC4450240.
c. Gopal S, Liomba NG, Montgomery ND, Moses A, Kaimila B, Nyasosela R, Chikasema M, Dhungel BM,
Kampani C, Sanders MK, Krysiak R, Dittmer DP, Fedoriw Y. Characteristics and survival for HIVassociated multicentric Castleman disease in Malawi. J Int AIDS Soc 2015;18:20122. PMC4524888.
d. Host KM, Horner MJ, van der Gronde T, Moses A, Phiri S, Dittmer DP, Damania B, Gopal S. Kaposi's
sarcoma in Malawi: a continued problem for HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals. AIDS
2017;31:318-319. PMC5180456.
5. Other cancers in sub-Saharan Africa. Finally, as the only medical oncologist in Malawi, and leader of our
cancer clinical research program, I work with many collaborators and provide mentorship to US and
Malawian trainees to address the most common malignancies in this environment.
a. Gopal S. Moonshot to Malawi. N Engl J Med 2016;374:1604-5. PMC4871710.
b. Gutnik L, Lee C, Msosa V, Moses A, Stanley C, Mzumara S, Liomba NG, Gopal S. Clinical breast
exam screening by trained laywomen in Malawi integrated with other health services. J Surg Res
2016;204:61-7. PMC4963624.
c. Liu W, Snell JM, Jeck WR, Hoadley KA, Wilkerson MD, Parker JS, Patel N, Mlombe YB, Mulima G,
Liomba NG, Wolf LL, Shores CG, Gopal S, Sharpless NE. Subtyping sub-Saharan esophageal
squamous cell carcinoma by comprehensive molecular analysis. JCI Insight 2016;1:e88755.
PMC5053149.
d. Kohler RE, Miller AR, Gutnik L, Lee CN, Gopal S. Experiences and perceptions regarding clinical
breast exam screening by trained laywomen in Malawi. Cancer Causes Control 2017;28:137-143.
PMID: 28097471.
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URL of full published work:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/myncbi/satish.gopal.1/bibliography/43943250/public/?sort=date&direction=de
scending
D. Research Support
Ongoing Research Support
K01TW009488
Gopal (PI)
9/20/2012-6/30/2017
Developing a prospective lymphoma clinical cohort in Malawi
This is an International Research Scientist Development Award to support my career development focused on
lymphoma in resource-limited settings. The goals are to develop a large, longitudinal lymphoma cohort in
Malawi with detailed characterization and embedded correlative sub-studies. Patients receiving treatment
according to local standards are followed for up to five years to evaluate response to therapy, treatment-related
toxicities, costs of treatment, and health-related quality of life.
R21CA180815
Gopal (PI)
8/20/2013-7/31/2017
Molecular profiling of HIV-associated lymphoma in the US and Malawi
This award is to perform the first large-scale genomic characterization of HIV-associated lymphoma using RNA
sequencing. Tumor specimens are taken from ongoing lymphoma cohort studies in the US and in Malawi, for
which I serve as PI, allowing correlation of all gene expression profiling data to robust clinical data.
U54CA190152
Gopal (PI)
9/15/2014-8/31/2019
Addressing herpesvirus-associated cancers through the Malawi Cancer Consortium
This award is to establish the Malawi Cancer Consortium, comprised of the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, Malawi Ministry of Health, and University of Malawi College of Medicine. The consortium is
focused on Kaposi sarcoma and lymphoma. It includes three support cores (Administrative, Mentoring,
Analysis) and three multi-institutional research projects: (1) a record linkage study between the Malawi
National Cancer Registry and national HIV data to clarify changing patterns of cancer risk in the ART era; (2) a
cohort study to elucidate HIV-associated Kaposi sarcoma subsets; and (3) a cohort study to develop riskadapted, response-guided treatment of HIV-associated lymphoma. A principal focus is to develop internal
capacity such that Malawi can become a leading country for HIV-associated cancer research in the region.
P20CA210285
Gopal (PI)
9/1/2016-8/31/2018
Planning for a national non-communicable disease center of research excellence in Malawi
This anticipated award is for a two-year planning period to develop a Malawi Center of Research Excellence
for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), focused on cancer, injury, and cardiovascular disease. The planning
grant will engage every major group in Malawi with significant NCD programs, reflecting a commitment to a
truly national agenda. The center will include administrative, developmental, clinical, laboratory, biostatistics,
and implementation cores. Sustainability of the center and its impact will be ensured by strong scientific
ownership from collaborating Malawian partners, including participation by the highest levels of the Malawi
College of Medicine and Ministry of Health leadership. Active linkages to international institutions and networks
outside Malawi will allow the center to leverage external relationships to achieve regional importance.
P30CA016086-40S4
Gopal (PI)
3/24/2016-5/30/2018
Malawi Burkitt lymphoma project supplement award
This supplement award to the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center core grant is specifically for Burkitt
lymphoma studies in Malawi. The included studies will focus on deriving and validating a diagnostic score to
improve Burkitt lymphoma diagnosis, conducting a systematic methotrexate dose-escalation study, and
increasing collaborations with regional partners during the supplement award period to establish a regional
network for addressing this common pediatric cancer.
UNC Lineberger Developmental Award
Gopal (PI)
7/1/2013-7/31/2016
A pilot clinical trial of R-CHOP in Malawi
The award is to conduct a single-center, non-randomized clinical trial of R-CHOP, using the Indian generic
biosimilar Reditux. We will enroll 40 patients (20 HIV-infected, 20 HIV-uninfected). Patients will be followed for
primary endpoints of toxicity and progression-free survival.
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