102. Angiotensin System Inhibitors are Associated with Improved Survival in Locally Advanced NSCLC and Exhibit Anti-tumor Synergism with Chemotherapy in a Murine Model of NSCLC

Patricia A. Thistlethwaite M.D.-Ph.D. is a Professor of Surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of California, San Diego. She is a magna cum laude graduate of the Harvard Medical School. She completed her general surgery training at the Massachusetts General Hospital and cardiothoracic surgery training at the University of Pittsburgh.  Dr. Thistlethwaite served as the first woman President of the Western Thoracic Surgical Association from 2018-2019.  She is the first woman Program Director in Cardiothoracic Surgery in the United States. 

Dr. Thistlethwaite’s clinical interests span the full range of thoracic surgery, including minimally-invasive lung surgery and mediastinal surgery, lung transplantation, and chest wall surgery. She has been a Castle Connolly Top Doctor and Exceptional Woman in Medicine for the past 18 years.  

Dr. Thistlethwaite is considered a leading researcher in the field of pulmonary hypertension. Her molecular biology lab has been continuously funded by NIH R01 grants for 23 years. In 2017, Dr. Thistlethwaite was awarded the Honorary Knowledge and Discovery Award (top 5% of researchers in the U.S.) from the American Health Council and invested as an honorary member of the Royal College of Physicians in London. She has spoken at invited lectures in the United States, Europe, South America, and the far East. Her research publications have included articles in Nature Medicine, the New England Journal of Medicine, Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and Circulation.    

Dr. Thistlethwaite’s national recognition has led to leadership roles in the American Heart Association, Thoracic Surgery Directors Association, Fleischner Society, Women in Thoracic Surgery, and Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute. She is Managing Editor of the journal, Pulmonary Circulation. She is the author of over 140 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters.

After receiving a Bachelor of Science in Bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Lanuti received his M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He completed his internship and residency in Surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and a two year research fellowship in a Thoracic Oncology Laboratory focusing on novel treatments (gene therapy) for lung cancer. He completed a Cardiothoracic Fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital. He has been on staff in the Division of Thoracic Surgery since 2004, and holds a parallel appointment as Associate Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School. He has been the Friedman-Lambert Scholar in Academic Thoracic Surgery at MGH/HMS since 2004.  He is the Director of Thoracic Oncology for the Division of Thoracic Surgery and the Thoracic Surgery liaison to the MGH Cancer Center.  Clinical interests include minimally invasive surgery for lung cancer, complex airway tumors, multimodality treatment of esophageal cancer, mediastinal tumors,  thermal ablation of lung tumors.