Rian Hasson Charles

I was the recipient of the Ruth L. Kirschstein Training Grant (T32), and spent two years as a basic science clinical research fellow with Dr. Monica Bertagnolli in the Division of Surgical Oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. During my time, I studied the role of estrogen in inhibiting intestinal tumor formation, tyrosine kinase regulation in desmoid tumors, and the effects of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on tumor resistance in Min/+ mice. Our laboratory also investigated adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene function and the role of inflammation in driving abnormal wound healing and tumorigenesis. In addition to building upon my repertoire of basic science techniques, I was involved in translational projects and investigated the role of aberrant crypt foci (ACF) as a surrogate endpoint biomarker in colorectal cancer chemoprevention.
During my time at The Ohio State Ross Heart Hospital Center for Cardiac Outcomes, and The James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, my research efforts were more clinical in nature. My interests included pulmonary influences on patients undergoing cardiac surgery for heart and lung failure; specifically patients with pulmonary hypertension, and those undergoing placement of Left and Right Ventricular Devices, Extracorporeal Life Support, and Heart and Lung Transplantation.
My future projects will transition to outcomes research investigating clinical problems that arise during the perioperative care of thoracic and foregut patients, the utility of various neoadjuvant and adjuvant treatment protocols for oncologic patients through clinical trials, and oncologic patient optimization through exercise training and nutrition improvements to improve 30-90 day survival. I am also very interested in translational oncologic research evaluating the “physiologic switch” within precursor lung lesions and inactivated circulating tumor cells that initiates transformation and spread into cancer. Specifically, I will investigate circulating markers of lung tumorigenesis, paying special attention to the differences observed in in-situ, malignant, and metastatic lesions. Ultimately, I will apply the results of my research to the betterment of current patient practice to improve the treatment of thoracic and foregut malignancies.

Education and Training Education May 2001 University of California, Berkeley Bachelor of Arts Degree, Psychology May 2003 Harvard College Extension School, Health Careers Program Certificate in Premedical Studies May 2008 Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California Medical Doctorate, Dean’s Recognition (Dean’s List) 2006-2008 Clinical Appointments Domestic Clinical Activities 2008-2009 General Surgery Intern, Brigham and Women’s Hospital 2009-2014 General Surgery Resident, Brigham and Women’s Hospital 2014-2015 Chief Resident, General Surgery, Brigham and Women’s Hospital 2015-2017 Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellow, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center 2016-2017 Chief Resident, Cardiothoracic Surgery, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center 2017-2018 General Thoracic Surgery Fellow, Mayo Clinic 2018-present Assistant Professor of Surgery, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center International Clinical Activities 2005 Visiting Medical Student, Department of Surgery, Critical Care and Emergency Medicine, Hospital Carlos Andrade Marín Quito, Ecuador SALUD Medical Spanish Program, Academia Latinoamericana 2007 Visiting Medical Student, Department of Surgery, Hospital William Allen Taylor; Turrialba, Costa Rica AEC Medical Spanish Program, Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE) 2011 Delegate, American Public Health Association, Havana, Cuba 2015, 2016 Resident/Fellow Volunteer, Team Heart Cardiac Surgery, Kigali Rwanda Research and Postdoctoral Appointments 2004 Clinical Research Assistant, Department of Anesthesia, University of California, Berkeley 2005-2008 Clinical Research Assistant, Department of Trauma and Critical Care, LAC + USC Medical Center and University Hospital 2007-2008 Clinical Research Fellow, Department of Surgery, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles 2010-2015 Postdoctoral and Clinical Research Fellow, Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Dana Farber Cancer Institute 2015-2017 Clinical Research Fellow, The Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute, The Ross Heart Hospital Center for Cardiac Outcomes