• Pursuing a career in academic oncology with a focus on gastrointestinal and genitourinary malignancies.

• Interest in translational oncology research and cancer biomarkers 
 EDUCATION & TRAINING:

  Hematology Oncology Fellowship July 2017 – June 2020 Chief Fellow July 2018 – June 2020 University of Cincinnati Medical Center, Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH

• Program Director: Mahmoud Charif, MD

• Chairman: Pier Paolo Scaglioni, MD

  Graduate Certificate in Clinical & Translational Research June 2019 – May 2020

  University of Cincinnati, Department of Environmental Health, Division of Epidemiology

Internal Medicine – Chief Resident

Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL

• Program Director: Shehzad Ali, MD

• Chairman: Maribe Bangayan, MD

  Internal Medicine Residency

  Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL


• Program Director: Shehzad Ali, MD

• Chairman: Maribe Bangayan, MD

  Internal Medicine Internship

  Syrian Red Crescent Hospital, Damascus, Syria

• Program Director: Buthaina Haj-Ibrahim, MD

MD degree - Medical School Education

University of Damascus, Faculty of Medicine, Damascus, Syria

July 2016 – June 2017

July 2013 – June 2016


March 2011 – April 2012

September 2003 – August 2010

PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATIONS:

• American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM): October 2016

• ECFMG Certificate: August 2012

  PROFESSIONAL SOCIETIES:

• American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)

• American Society of Hematology (ASH)

• American College of Physicians (ACP)

  RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH

• IMPDH

July 2018 – Present

Inosine-5′-monophosphate dehydrogenase (

.

• Drug resistance in HER2 positive breast cancer: Translational research in collaboration with

  Cincinnati Children’s Hospital to study the mechanism of resistance to anti-HER2 therapy

  (Lapatinib) in HER2+ breast cancer tissues and develop strategies to overcome this resistance.

• Risk of second primary cancers in prostate cancer survivors: A SEER database analysis

• Focal cryoablation using MRI-US fusion for the treatment of localized prostate cancer: A pilot

  single site, investigator-initiated trial.

• Systematic prostate biopsy vs MRI/US fusion guided prostate biopsy: a single institution

  experience. A retrospective study to assess targeted vs

  Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health January 2017 - February 2017

• Design and interpretation of clinical trials course

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL September 2014 – July 2016

• Microphthalmia transcription factor (Mitf) in melanoma: Translational research conducted to understand the prognostic role of Mitf in metastatic melanoma. To study the correlation between Mitf expression in primary melanoma and multiple clinical outcomes. 





Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL October 2013 – August 2015
 • Quality Improvement: Appropriate use of inpatient telemetry monitoring

) expression in lethal solid tumors:

Translational research aimed to study IMPDH expression in cancer, its correlation with

survival, and its potential role in targeted therapy

systematic biopsy and the 2 approaches

combined for the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer.

PUBLICATIONS & ABSTRACTS:

• Naffouje, R.; Grover, P.; Yu, H.; Sendilnathan, A.; Wolfe, K.; Nazanin, M.; Smith, E.P.; Takeuchi, K.; Senda, T.; Kofuji, S.; Sasaki, A
  Inhibitors: A Century-Long Story. Cancers 2019, 11

• Sendilnathan, A.; Velagapudi, R.K.; Velarde, A.M.; Jandarov, R.; Zhu, Z.; Randhawa, J.S.; McKillip, K.D.; Yoshino, H.; Kofuji, S.; Okumura, K.; Naffouje, R.; Finley, K.; Sasaki, A. Investigation of IMPDH2 expression in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and its association with oncologic outcomes. ASCO GU Cancer Symposium 2019, San Franscico, CA. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2019 37:7_suppl, 594-594

• Hawley, D.; Kim, H.; Bhaskaran, J.; Sheng, P.; Charif, M.; Chaudhary, R.; Phan, K.; Naffouje, R.; Bal, S. Development of a new Hematology Oncology fellowship role to improve consult wait times and reduce ER visits. Association of VA Hem Onc Annual Meeting 2018, Chicago, IL.

• Naffouje, R.; Salti, G.I. ASCO Annual Meeting 2017, Chicago, IL. The Prognostic Role of Metastatic Lymph Node Ratio-Staging System in Gastric Patients. Analysis of the National Cancer Data Base. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2017 35:15_suppl, 4044-4044

• Naffouje, R.; Arora, A.; Sreenivasan, S. Telemetry burden of an American hospital; are we choosing wisely? Society for Acute Medicine Spring Conference 2017, Cardiff, UK.

• Naffouje, S.A.; Naffouje, R.; Chen, J.; Salti, G.I. Validation and Enhancement of the Clinicopathological Melanoma Nomogram via Incorporation of a Molecular Marker in the Primary Tumor. Anticancer Res 2016, 36, 6603-6610

• Naffouje, R.; Yosuf, A.; Rose, C. Ipilimumab Induced Panhypopituitarism; a case of a rare side effect.
ACP Illinois Chapter: Annual Residents & Medical Students day 2016, Chicago, IL.

• Hejazi, K.; Arora, A.; Naffouje, R.; Verda, L. Non-Secretory Plasma Cell Myeloma. ACP Illinois Chapter: Annual Residents & Medical Students day 2016, Chicago, IL.

• Naffouje, R.; Salti, G.I. ASCO annual meeting 2016, Chicago, IL. The Role of Microphthalmia transcription factor in prediction of distant metastases in cutaneous melanoma. Journal of Clinical Oncology 2016 34:15_suppl, 9564-9564

• Naffouje, S.; Naffouje, R.; Bhagwandin, S.; Salti, G.I. Microphthalmia transcription factor in malignant melanoma predicts occult sentinel lymph node metastases and survival. Melanoma Research 2015, 25, 496-502

• Graduation Thesis: The electrocardiographic changes in ischemia heart disease. Naffouje, R.; Shebli, H. University of Damascus Publications 2009, Damascus, Syria.

. Anti-Tumor Potential of IMP Dehydrogenase

(9), 1346

PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE:

• State of Ohio Medical Board
  MD License No. 35.130688: active

• Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation: Licensed Physician and Surgeon No. 036140078: inactive

  AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS:

• Academic Excellence Award 2019
  Top score on ASCO national in-training exam (ITE)

• Chief Resident Appreciation & Recognition Award 2017 Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL.

• Best Journal Club Annual Award 2016 Weiss Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL.

• ACP Illinois Advocate 2016
  ACP leadership day on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C.

  EXTRACURRICULAR INTERESTS:

• Baking, hiking, playing piano.

• Languages: 
 English: Fluent

  Arabic: Native French: Good Spanish: Fair

• Chief at "Vincentian Marian Youth" Association – Syria Branch 1998-2010 


• Member of “Students Academic Support Group” in Damascus University 2008-2009