PHILADELPHIA, PA – NRG Oncology (NRG), a National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) group focused on improving outcomes for adults with cancer through multi-center clinical research, recently announced changes in leadership across multiple committees.
Deborah K. Armstrong, MD, will become the Chair of the NRG Medical Oncology Committee effective March 1, 2026 after previously serving as the committee’s Vice Chair. Dr. Armstrong is a medical oncologist and Professor of Oncology and Gynecology & Obstetrics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. In her career, she has contributed significantly to the treatment of gynecologic malignancies, particularly ovarian cancer. Dr. Armstrong has served as the Principal Investigator for NRG and the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) trials at Johns Hopkins for 25 years. She has served nationally as the Co-Chair of the NCI Gynecologic Cancer Steering Committee and the long-standing Chair of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Ovarian Cancer Committee. Her landmark clinical research helped establish paclitaxel and topotecan as standard therapies for recurrent ovarian cancer and positioned her as a global leader in intraperitoneal chemotherapy, including serving as Principal Investigator of a pivotal GOG trial that demonstrated unprecedented survival benefits and prompted an NCI clinical announcement recommending this approach. In parallel, she has led and collaborated on influential Phase I–III trials of targeted and biologic agents, including anti–folate receptor antibodies, antiangiogenic therapies, and PARP inhibitors, shaping modern standards of care. Beyond therapeutic development, Dr. Armstrong has made major contributions to cancer screening, biomarkers, and trial design, and has authored or co-authored key American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and NCCN guidelines that guide practice worldwide.
Daniel P. Cahill, MD, PhD, will become the Surgical Oncology Vice Chair of the NRG Brain Tumor Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Cahill is a neurosurgical oncologist and a Professor of Neurosurgery at Massachusetts General Brigham and Harvard Medical School. He has served as the Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Neurosurgery at Mass General Hospital and on the National Institutes of Health/NCI Brain Malignancy Steering Committee. Clinically, he performs 150–200 brain tumor surgeries annually, providing a pragmatic foundation for his support of landmark trials in meningioma, glioblastoma, brain metastases, and craniopharyngioma. Scientifically, his work has helped define fundamental mechanisms of tumor genomic instability, treatment-induced hypermutation, and the biology and metabolic vulnerabilities of IDH-mutant gliomas, leading to high-impact publications in multiple journals and directly catalyzing national, NCI-supported clinical trials. He has played a sustained leadership role in cooperative group research for more than a decade, serving in multiple capacities within NRG Oncology and previously RTOG —including serving as American Association of Neurological Surgeons – Congress of Neurosurgeons Tumor Section NRG Clinical Trials Liaison, a core member of the NRG Brain Tumor Committee, and close collaborator to the Surgical Chair. He is a committed mentor to future investigators and has guided residents and junior faculty to independent funding and academic careers. His career has been defined by scientific rigor, collaborative leadership, and a sustained focus on translating molecular insights into meaningful advances for patients with brain tumors.
Andrew B. Lassman, MD, will become the Neuro-Oncologist/Medical Oncology Vice Chair of the NRG Brain Tumor Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Lassman is a leader in neuro-oncology whose career has been dedicated to advancing the understanding and treatment of brain tumors through transformative clinical research, mentorship, and academic leadership. He currently serves as the Vice Dean of Clinical Research Integrity, Vice Chair for Clinical Research, and Division Chief for Neuro-Oncology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians & Surgeons as well as the Associate Director for Clinical Research and Trials and Medical Director for the Clinical Protocol & Data Management Office at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. He has spent more than 25 years at the intersection of neurology and oncology, developing and leading practice-changing clinical trials within the NCI NCTN. A long-standing and deeply committed member of NRG Oncology and previously RTOG, Dr. Lassman has served as Study Chair or senior leader on multiple landmark phase II and III trials in glioblastoma and oligodendroglioma, including RTOG 9402, RTOG 0627, RTOG Foundation 3508, and NRG-BN007, several of which directly reshaped standards of care and earned major international research awards. He has led or contributed to more than 50 clinical trials across NCI network, investigator-initiated, and industry-sponsored studies, and his work has been widely published in leading journals. In his previous positions at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dr. Lassman directed the MSK Neuro-Oncology Fellowship, training 26 fellows now in faculty positions worldwide and continues to impact and mentor future generations of investigators.
David R. Raleigh, MD, PhD, will become the Translational Science Co-Vice Chair of the NRG Brain Tumor Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Raleigh is a physician–scientist and Associate Professor at the University of California San Francisco with joint appointments in Radiation Oncology, Neurological Surgery, and Pathology, where he also serves as the Michael McDermott, MD, Endowed Professor and the Wolfe Family Endowed Professor of Meningioma Research. His career is defined by the integration of cutting-edge translational science with leadership in national clinical trials to improve outcomes for patients with brain tumors. Dr. Raleigh directs a highly productive laboratory focused on the genomic, epigenomic, and cellular mechanisms underlying brain tumor heterogeneity, evolution, and therapeutic resistance, with seminal discoveries that have redefined meningioma classification, identified conserved biological drivers across species, and uncovered novel therapeutic vulnerabilities. His work has led to the development of multiple clinically actionable biomarkers, including DNA methylation and gene expression signatures published in multiple journals which now directly inform patient stratification and treatment decisions. These discoveries underpin several cooperative group trials within NRG Oncology, where he has played a central leadership role as Study Chair of the randomized phase III NRG-BN015 trial and as Translational Principal Investigator for NRG-BN2222 and NRG-BN2527, incorporating biomarkers developed in his laboratory and leveraging archival NRG and RTOG biobank specimens. Dr. Raleigh has made foundational contributions to the biology of schwannomas, ependymomas, medulloblastomas, and glioblastoma, including studies on Hedgehog signaling, CDK4/6 dependence, and tumor stem cell populations. He has sustained an exceptional record of NIH funding, serving as principal investigator or project leader on multiple R01, P01, U54, UH3, R21, and K08 awards. Equally notable is his commitment to mentorship, education, and collaborative leadership, demonstrated through extensive training of junior investigators, leadership roles within UCSF and national societies, and active participation in the NRG Brain Tumor Committee.
Erik P. Sulman, MD, PhD, will become the Translational Science Co-Vice Chair of the NRG Brain Tumor Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Sulman is a leader in brain tumor translational research whose career has been built on bridging fundamental tumor biology with impactful, biomarker-driven clinical trials. Currently, he is a Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at the Duke University School of Medicine and Interim Executive Director of the Duke Cancer Institute. He has previously held major leadership roles at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, including Vice Chair for Research in Radiation Oncology, Co-Director of the Brain and Spine Tumor Center, Director of the MD/PhD Program, and Assistant Dean for Physician Scientist Education—as well as Service Chief for CNS/Pediatrics at MD Anderson Cancer Center. As long-standing member of the NRG Brain Tumor Committee for over 17 years, Dr. Sulman has played a central role in shaping correlative and biomarker science across numerous NRG, RTOG, and Alliance trials, serving as translational science or biomarker chair on studies such as NRG-BN001, BN003, BN005, BN007, BN011, and Alliance A071102, and securing multiple BIQSFP awards to support integral molecular testing, particularly MGMT in glioblastoma. He leads an NIH-funded laboratory focused on tumor heterogeneity, epigenetics, and mechanisms of radiation resistance, with seminal contributions to defining mesenchymal differentiation, treatment resistance, and prognostic biomarkers in glioblastoma and meningioma, published in high-impact journals. He has maintained an active clinical trial portfolio, including serving as Principal Investigator of the RTOG Foundation 3523 trial in meningioma, and has been deeply engaged in national leadership through the Society for Neuro-Oncology, where he has served multiple terms on the Board, chaired key committees, and acted as scientific co-chair of the annual meeting.
Stephen Chun, MD, will become the Vice Chair of the NRG Protocol Operations Management (POM) Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Chun is a radiation oncologist and clinician–scientist with a strong commitment to overcoming barriers to cancer clinical trial enrollment and advancing high-impact oncologic research in cancer care. He is the Director of Radiation Oncology Clinical Research at the MD Anderson Cancer Center (MDACC) Houston Area Location integrated academic satellite network where he has been responsible for implementing the cooperative group trial program and has enrolled hundreds of patients across a wide range of disease sites with particular success in underserved communities. Dr. Chun has been at the forefront of NRG and the NCTN’s clinical research accrual by serving as principal investigator and institutional principal investigator on multiple prospective, NCI and NRG-sponsored clinical trials that have contributed to practice-changing data. He leads efforts integrating multidisciplinary collaboration, innovative research coordinator workflows, and artificial intelligence-based screening tools to aid in the improvement of trial accrual and operational efficiency. This work resulted in NCI R50 funding as Principal Investigator to further develop clinical research infrastructure at MD Anderson and nationally. In addition to his prior service as NRG POM Committee member, Dr. Chun also serves on the group’s NRG Lung Cancer Core Committee and is the NRG Lung Cancer Liaison to the Radiation Oncology Committee. Outside of NRG, Dr. Chun serves on the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Communications Committee, ASTRO Community Engagement and Advocacy Committee and ASTRO Lung Resource Panel, the ASCO Cancer Care Impact Committee, the Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) Radiation Oncology Committee, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Multidisciplinary Science Committee and the American Radium Society Thoracic Appropriate Use Criteria Committee. He also co-founded and co-hosts The NRG Oncology Podcast which is the first podcast ever to be established by an NCI-sponsored cooperative group, having received the 2025 American College of Radiation Oncology Social Media Award. In recognition of his leadership, Dr. Chun was the first participant from the MDACC Division of Radiation Oncology to be selected for the ASCO Leadership Development Program (LDP) in 2024-2025.
John V. Heymach, MD, PhD, will become the Medical Oncology Vice Chair of the NRG Lung Cancer Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Heymach is a physician-scientist and medical oncologist whose career has been devoted to transforming the multidisciplinary treatment of lung cancer through landmark clinical and translational research. As Professor and Chair of the Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center, he has led one of the largest thoracic oncology programs in the world for more than a decade while advancing practice-changing trials that integrate systemic therapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. Dr. Heymach has played a central role in cooperative group research through ongoing leadership and participation in NRG and related trials, including seminal studies of local consolidative therapy and combined-modality approaches for both non–small cell and small cell lung cancer. As a clinical investigator, he has led first-in-human, biomarker-driven, and randomized phase III trials that have redefined standards of care, including the Beamion-LUNG01 (zongertinib) and AEGEAN (durvalumab) perioperative immunotherapy programs and the I-SABR trial, several of which resulted in FDA approvals. His laboratory has made foundational discoveries elucidating molecular determinants of drug response and resistance—most notably defining structural classifications of EGFR mutations, identifying STK11/KEAP1-mediated immunotherapy resistance in KRAS-mutant disease, and enabling the development and approval of the first HER2-mutant–specific TKI for lung cancer. Dr. Heymach has published more than 500 peer-reviewed manuscripts, is among the most highly cited lung cancer investigators worldwide and has received numerous national and institutional honors recognizing excellence in translational science, team science, and mentorship.
Puneeth Iyengar, MD, PhD, will become the Translational Science Vice Chair of the NRG Lung Cancer Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Iyengar is a physician–scientist whose career integrates leadership in radiation oncology, transformative clinical trial design, and pioneering translational research focused on tumor–host interactions. He is currently a Director of the Metastatic Service and member of the Thoracic Service in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he also co-leads the Bone Metastasis Program, is a member of the Weill Center for Metabolism, and serves as adjunct faculty at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern Medical Center. Additionally, he serves on the NCI Thoracic Malignancy Steering Committee. Dr. Iyengar’s academic career at UT Southwestern included roles as Vice Chair, Associate Vice Chair for Research, Director of Clinical Research, and Co-Director of the Thoracic Oncology Program prior to his transition to MSKCC. Scientifically, Dr. Iyengar is a thought leader in metastatic lung cancer and cachexia, having helped redefine the role of local therapy in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) through trials published in JCO and JAMA Oncology, and currently serving as overall Principal Investigator of NRG-LU002, the largest modern phase II/III randomized trial evaluating local therapy in stage IV NSCLC in the immunotherapy era. He leads an independent, NIH-funded laboratory that has generated seminal discoveries in cancer cachexia biology, including identification of the tumor–adipose–hypothalamic axis, elucidation of JAK/STAT-driven inflammatory mechanisms, and discovery of STK11/LKB1 loss as the first tumor-intrinsic genetic biomarker and driver of lung cancer cachexia—work that has been translated into early-phase clinical trials targeting cachexia therapeutically. His contributions have been supported by multiple R01s and major awards from the American Cancer Society, Sidney Kimmel Foundation, Lung Cancer Research Foundation, RSNA, and others, and have influenced clinical practice guidelines through the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) leadership.
Reshma Jagsi, MD, DPhil, will become the Radiation Oncology Vice Chair of the NRG Breast Cancer Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Jagsi is the Lawrence W. Davis Professor and Chair of Radiation Oncology at Emory University and an internationally recognized leader in breast cancer research, health services research, and bioethics. She is an NIH- and Susan G. Komen-funded radiation oncologist whose work focuses on individualizing breast cancer care through treatment de-escalation for low-risk disease, intensification for aggressive disease, and improving patient-centered, preference-concordant decision-making. She has led or co-led numerous national and international clinical trials through NCI cooperative groups including NRG, SWOG, Alliance, and the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group (NCIC CTG). She currently serves on the Steering Committee of the Early Breast Cancer Trialists’ Collaborative Group, Chairs the NIH Board of Scientific Counselors for the Clinical Center, and has held major leadership roles within ASCO, JAMA Oncology, and other leading organizations. Her contributions have been recognized by election to the National Academy of Medicine, the Association of American Physicians, and the American Society of Clinical Investigation, along with numerous national awards for scientific excellence, leadership, mentorship, ethics, and advancing women in medicine.
Heng Li, PhD, will become the Chair of the NRG Medical Physics Subcommittee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Li is an Associate Professor, Chief Proton Physicist, and Vice Chief of the Division of Medical Physics in the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences at Johns Hopkins University, with a career distinguished by leadership in proton therapy, motion management, and advanced radiotherapy standards. He has authored over 120 peer-reviewed publications and made seminal contributions to respiratory motion modeling, intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT), biologically guided treatment planning, and spatially fractionated radiation therapy (SFRT). He led the first U.S. clinical implementation of IMPT for thoracic malignancies at MD Anderson and established the Johns Hopkins Proton Therapy Physics Program, integrating pencil beam scanning, adaptive planning, and motion management into clinical practice. Dr. Li has played a major role in shaping national and international standards as Chair of AAPM Task Group 290 on respiratory motion management, Chair of TG-440 on SFRT, Vice-Chair of TG-441 on adaptive proton therapy, and leader within NRG and the Particle Therapy Co-Operative Group (PTCOG) Phase III trials. As Contact Principal Investigator for multiple NIH NCI programs, including the Howard–Hopkins Cancer Center Partnership and the CaREER education program, he advances cancer research, clinical trial readiness, and workforce development, while mentoring physicists globally and supporting equitable adoption of advanced radiotherapy technologies.
Rana McKay, MD, will become the Medical Oncology Vice Chair of the NRG Genitourinary Cancer Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. McKay is a Professor of Medicine, Urology, and Radiation Medicine and Applied Sciences at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and a medical oncologist and clinical investigator specializing in genitourinary malignancies, particularly prostate and kidney cancer. She serves as Co-Leader of the Genitourinary Oncology Program and Associate Director of Clinical Sciences at the UCSD Moores Cancer Center, with extensive expertise in the design, leadership, and execution of multi-institutional clinical trials spanning early-phase through phase III studies. Dr. McKay has led and co-led numerous investigator-initiated and cooperative group trials focused on novel therapeutics, biomarker-driven precision medicine, perioperative treatment strategies, and radiopharmaceutical combinations, and she currently holds multiple leadership roles within NCI-sponsored networks, including Cadre Leader positions in the Alliance and NRG Oncology. She is the co-Principal Investigator of the currently active Phase II NRG-GU012 “SAMURAI” study of stereotactic ablative radiation therapy for patients with metastatic unresected renal cell carcinoma receiving immunotherapy. Her translational research has advanced biomarker discovery using liquid biopsies and multi-omic approaches, informed treatment selection, and addressed issues pertaining to healthcare access. Dr. McKay has received numerous national honors for research, clinical excellence, teaching, and leadership, underscoring her impact on improving outcomes and equity in prostate and renal cancer care.
Van K. Morris, MD, will become the Vice Chair of the NRG Publications Committee effective March 1, 2026. Dr. Morris is an Associate Professor of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and currently serves as Section Chief for Colorectal Cancer, where he provides strategic leadership over clinical operations and research efforts for a large multidisciplinary faculty group. He is a nationally recognized clinical investigator with a sustained record of developing and leading practice-changing, NCI-supported clinical trials that integrate translational science, liquid biopsy technologies, and novel immunotherapy combinations for patients with colorectal and anal cancers. Dr. Morris has served as overall Principal Investigator for multiple NCTN and SWOG trials, including NRG-GI005 (COBRA), the first NCI-supported solid tumor trial to use circulating tumor DNA as an integral biomarker to guide adjuvant therapy decisions, and SWOG S2107 evaluating targeted therapy with or without immunotherapy in BRAF-mutated metastatic colorectal cancer. His work has helped define modern treatment approaches for BRAF-mutated colorectal cancer and established ctDNA as a clinically actionable tool across disease states. In anal cancer, he led the first phase II immunotherapy trial to demonstrate efficacy, resulting in changes to NCCN Guidelines, and continues to advance biomarker-driven immunotherapy strategies in this rare disease. His contributions are supported by continuous extramural funding, including the NCI R50 Clinical Scientist Award, and are reflected in high-impact publications in leading journals. In parallel with his scientific accomplishments, Dr. Morris has demonstrated a strong commitment to academic leadership, mentorship, and collaborative research, serving on national cooperative group committees, co-chairing ASCO guideline efforts, and consistently prioritizing timely dissemination of research findings to advance the field and improve outcomes for patients with cancer.
NRG looks forward to the continued advances of the group’s research through the leadership and guidance of these individuals in their new roles.
NRG is exceedingly thankful to all of the outgoing committee leaders, Arnab Chakravarti, Mark Gilbert, Michael Vogelbaum (Brain Tumor), Jessica Donington, Martin Edelman (Lung Cancer), Corey Langer (Medical Oncology), Thomas Julian (Publications), who dedicated much of their time and effort to make our committees what they are today.
For current open NRG committee leadership and member application cycles, please check the NRG website current openings page.
About NRG Oncology
NRG Oncology conducts practice-changing, multi-institutional clinical and translational research to improve the lives of patients with cancer. Founded in 2012, NRG Oncology is a Pennsylvania-based nonprofit corporation that integrates the research of the legacy National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP), Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG), and Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) programs. The research network seeks to carry out clinical trials with emphases on gender-specific malignancies, including gynecologic, breast, and prostate cancers, and on localized or locally advanced cancers of all types. NRG Oncology’s extensive research organization comprises multidisciplinary investigators, including medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, physicists, pathologists, and statisticians, and encompasses more than 1,300 research sites located world-wide with predominance in the United States and Canada. NRG Oncology is supported primarily through grants from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and is one of five research groups in the NCI’s National Clinical Trials Network.