Eric L. Chang, M.D.
Professor and Chairman
Prior to joining USC Keck School of Medicine as Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology, Dr. Eric L. Chang was on the faculty as an attending radiation oncologist at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center for over 12 years, rising to an academic rank of Professor. Having established the first Gamma Knife radiosurgery program at M. D. Anderson which treats over 450 patients a year, he served as the Director of the CNS Stereotactic Radiation Program comprising the Gamma Knife program, and the Steretoactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) program for spine which treats over 100 spine patients a year. He is board certified by the American Board of Radiology in radiation oncology and specializes in the radiotherapeutic evaluation and management of patients with tumors of the central nervous system. He attended Harvard Medical School where he received his Doctorate in Medicine.
Dr. Chang's post-graduate training was conducted at the Harvard Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, in Boston, Massachusetts. He has held research leadership roles including having served as member, and Chair of the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center Clinical Research Committee (CRC) Chair. He is the 2011 CNS track leader for the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Scientific Program Committee, and member of the ASCO Cancer Education Committee. Dr. Chang is currently the co-leader for the American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) brain metastasis guidelines development task force and member of the Annual Program Committee of the Educational Council of ASTRO. He is current member of the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria Expert Panel on bone metastases. He has been listed in the Best Doctors Directory. Dr. Chang led a phase III randomized controlled trial on brain metastasis published in the Lancet Oncology 2009 which is starting to change the practice patterns for metastatic brain disease. Dr. Chang has been selected as a plenary speaker for past meetings of ASTRO and the American Association for Neurological Surgeons (AANS). He has authored or co-authored over 100 peer-reviewed papers and abstracts.
Paul Pagnini, M.D.
Assistant Professor and Residency Program Director
Dr. Pagnini is the Residency Program Director for the Department of Radiation Oncology at the USC Keck School of Medicine. He completed his residency training in radiation oncology at Tufts/New England Medical Center where he was chief resident in his final year. He was awarded a research fellowship from the American Society of Therapeutic Radiation Oncology, which enabled him to study the role of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for the treatment of cancers of the central nervous system. He has been published in the areas of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), 3-D conformal radiation therapy, CyberKnife® and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery. Dr. Pagnini's clinical areas of expertise include 3-D conformal radiation therapy, intensity modulated radiation therapy and radiosurgery for the treatment of gastrointestinal and central nervous system tumors. He has appeared as a featured guest on the syndicated television series, The Doctors.
Afshin Rashtian, M.D.
Assistant Professor and Associate Residency Program Director
Dr. Rashtian is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Radiation Oncology at USC/Norris Cancer Hospital and USC/Los Angeles County Medical Center. He is also the Associate Residency Program Director, Medical Student Director, and the RTOG representative for USC.
He received his bachelor’s degree in biology with honors from George Mason University in Virginia, and was subsequently awarded a grant by the NIH for a two year research project in molecular biology at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. His research focused on membrane fusion properties and resulted in several publications. After earning his M.D. from the George Washington University School of Medicine, he began his internship in internal medicine at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, and completed his training in radiation oncology at the Southern California Permanente Medical Group in Los Angeles. He has been involved in several research projects and was invited to give an oral presentation at ASTRO (American Society of Therapeutic Radiology & Oncology) to discuss his research in breast cancer.
Dr. Rashtian’s expertise includes the treatment of lung, head & neck, breast malignancies and sarcoma, and he is part of the multidisciplinary treatment team for these body sites at USC/Norris Cancer Center and USC/Los Angeles County Medical Center. He is an active participant in several national clinical trials, and has a special clinical interest in the use of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for the treatment of lung and other body sites using the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosugery System. His specialties include IMRT (intensity-modulated radiation therapy), IGRT (image guided radiation therapy), IORT (intraoperative radiation therapy), MammoSite brachytherapy, and 4D-CT.
Michael Senikowich, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Senikowich is a clinical assistant professor and joined the USC Department of Radiation Oncology in 2008. He is board certified in radiation oncology, and is the chief attending physician for the Gyn/Lung/Lymphoma Service at USC/Los Angeles County Medical Center. He grew up in New York City, where he was accepted into the Bronx High School of Science. After finishing high school in Los Angeles he went on to UCLA, where he received a bachelor’s degree in biology. He earned his medical degree from New York Medical College and completed his residency training in radiation oncology at UCLA.
Prior to joining the USC radiation oncology team, he spent many years in private practice in Southern California. His academic specialties include radiation implants for gynecologic cancers, NK-T cell lymphomas, and the effective treatment of advanced lung cancers. Outside of work, he is an avid tennis enthusiast, and a big fan of Turner Classic Movies.
Mariam Korah, M.D.
Assistant Professor
Dr. Korah earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Florida, graduating as a University Scholar with a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary biomedical sciences. She was accepted into the UF Junior Honors Medical Program after two years of undergraduate education and entered the M.D. program her fourth year. She graduated at the top of her medical school class and was inducted into the UF Chapman Humanism Society, an organization that recognizes medical students and faculty physicians who have demonstrated exemplary behavior that promotes humanism in medicine.
Dr. Korah completed her first-year internship and residency training in radiation oncology at Emory University, and was chief resident her final year. She is a recipient of the RSNA Resident/Fellow Research Award, and has been selected for multiple podium and poster presentations at ASTRO and ARS meetings. She treats a broad spectrum of cancers, focusing on benign and malignant brain, spinal canal, gastrointestinal, and pediatric tumors. Her specialties include the use of advanced radiotherapy techniques such as intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSR), extracranial radiosurgery (ECRS), and image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT). Her areas of research have included adult and pediatric brain tumors, adult and pediatric bone and soft tissue sarcomas, and prostate cancer. She has been the primary author on several institutional review board approved protocols for improving patient outcomes and toxicity in cancer care.
Richard Jennelle, M.D.
Associate Professor
Dr. Jennelle is an Associate Professor and Director of Quality Improvement and Safety at the Department of Radiation Oncology at Keck Medical Center of USC and LAC + USC Medical Center. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Cincinnati and earned his MD from the UC College of Medicine, where he completed his residency in radiation oncology and was chief resident in his final year.
Dr. Jennelle was previously Associate Professor and Vice-Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology at the University of Mississippi, and served as the Chair of the University of Mississippi’s Quality Improvement Committee for the Cancer Center.
While at the University of Mississippi, Dr. Jennelle was instrumental in establishing the first ACGME accredited Radiation Oncology Residency Program in the state. Previously, he has served as the Residency Program Director at the University of Arizona, and is very much looking forward to helping the further development of USC’s Residency Program and its focus on training future leaders in the field.
Dr. Jennelle’s clinical focus will be directed towards programs in head and neck cancer, gamma knife radiosurgery, thoracic oncology, brachytherapy, and supporting gynecologic radiation oncology. He has a lifelong dedication to addressing the challenges of the medically underserved and is very excited about the partnership between Los Angeles County Hospital and USC KSOM.