Clinical Advisory Board
Samir E. Witta, M.D., Ph.D.
Samir E. Witta, M.D., Ph.D., joined Rocky Mountain Cancer Centers in July of 2005. Originally from the Czech Republic, Dr. Witta specializes in hematology and medical oncology and practices at the RMCC Lakewood location. He is a Clinical Assistant Professor at University of Colorado where he is involved in translational research. Dr. Witta graduated from medical school at the First Faculty of Medicine,Charles University in Prague. Dr. Witta earned his Ph.D. in genetics and developmental biology at the First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and at National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Dr. Witta went onto complete his residency in internal medicine at The Northeastern Pennsylvania Affiliated Residency Program. He then did a fellowship in hematology and medical oncology at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.
Dr. Witta is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Philip A. Philip M.D., Ph.D., F.R.C.P.
Dr. Philip is a Professor of Medicine at Wayne State University School of Medicine and a Clinical Professor of Oncology at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit, MI. He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in both Internal Medicine and Medical Oncology. Dr. Philip Philip’s primary research focus is the oversight of clinical trials of novel therapeutic agents and therapeutic combinations on patients with pancreatic, gastro-esophageal, liver, and colorectal cancer. He is actively involved in Phase I and II clinical trials. Dr. Philip has received numerous awards, including the Wayne State University Medical School Teaching Award (1999, 2004), and Outstanding Instructor in Oncology Award (2001). He belongs to numerous professional organizations including the American pancreatic Association and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.
Dr. Philip serves on the Editorial Board of the Internet Journal of Oncology and Community Oncology and reviews for multiple journals, including the Journal of Clinical Oncology and the European Journal of Cancer. He has authored over 70 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 7 book chapters and many invited review articles.
Philip received his BA (1971, American Jesuit Fathers College, Baghdad, Iraq), M.D. (1977, University of Baghdad College of Medicine), and Ph.D. in Clinical Pharmacology and Pharmacogenetics (1986, University of London, UK). He trained in oncology at the University of Oxford (UK) and the MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Kenneth J. Pienta, M.D.
Kenneth J. Pienta, M.D., professor of medicine and urology, serves as director for the Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) grant in prostate cancer at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. As the principal investigator of the $12 million National Cancer Institute grant, Dr. Pienta is responsible for overseeing multidisciplinary efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat prostate cancer.
Dr. Pienta is director of the Translational Medicine Committee of the South West Oncology Group. In that role he oversees the scientific direction for clinical trials of over 5000 cancer patients per year.
Dr. Pienta also serves as co-director of the Cancer Center's Urologic/Prostate Oncology Research Program. His research interests include understanding the process of prostate cancer metastasis to bone, discovering novel drug combinations to treat hormone refractory prostate cancer, and developing approaches aimed at improving the quality of life of patients with advanced prostate cancer.
Dr. Pienta joined the Cancer Center in 1994. Previously, he was assistant professor at Wayne State University School of Medicine and deputy director of the Urologic Oncology Program at the Meyer L. Prentis Comprehensive Cancer Center in Detroit. He received his medical degree and was a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
