Suzanne L. Topalian
Distinguished in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Distinguished in Merkel Cell Carcinoma

Overview

Dr. Topalian is a physician-scientist whose studies of anti-tumor immunity have been foundational in developing cancer immunotherapy. She has published over 160 original research articles and reviews in this area and is one of the most highly cited researchers in the biomedical field. She received her medical and scientific training at Tufts University School of Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the National Cancer Institute. She joined the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in 2006 as the inaugural director of its Melanoma Program. Dr. Topalian is credited with advancing the clinical development of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, and her work is widely recognized. She was named one of Nature’s 10 in 2014, and received the Karnofsky Award from ASCO in 2015, the Taubman Prize in 2016, the NCI’s Rosalind E. Franklin Award in 2018, the American Academy of Dermatology’s Gruber Memorial Cancer Research Award in 2020, and the Award for Distinguished Research in the Biomedical Sciences from the Association of American Medical Colleges in 2021 for landmark discoveries in cancer immunotherapy. Dr. Topalian was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2017, and to the American Association for Cancer Research Academy in 2022. Her work has opened new avenues of scientific investigation and established immunotherapy as a pillar of oncology.

Dr. Topalian is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma. Her top areas of expertise are Merkel Cell Carcinoma, Melanoma, Neuroendocrine Tumor, and Anal Cancer.

Her clinical research consists of co-authoring 77 peer reviewed articles and participating in 1 clinical trial. MediFind looks at clinical research from the past 15 years. In particular, she has co-authored 10 articles in the study of Merkel Cell Carcinoma.

Residency
Sidney Kimmel Medical College, General Surgery, 1985
Specialties
Surgical Oncology
Licenses
Surgery in MD
Fellowships
National Institutes of Health-NIH, Surgical Oncology, 1989
Languages Spoken
English
French
Gender
Female

Insurance

Accepted insurance can change. Please verify directly with the provider.

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Accepted insurance plans:

Aetna
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO
CareFirst
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO
Cigna
  • EPO
  • HMO
  • PPO
First Health
  • INSURANCE PLAN
  • MEDICARE PDP
  • PPO
Geisinger
  • HMO
  • POS
  • PPO

Locations

The Johns Hopkins Hospital
Baltimore, MD 21287

Clinical Research

Clinical research consists of overseeing clinical studies of patients undergoing new treatments and therapies, and publishing articles in peer reviewed medical journals. Providers who actively participate in clinical research are generally at the forefront of the fields and aware of the most up-to-date advances in treatments for their patients.


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Dr. Julie Lange is an assistant professor of surgery, dermatology and oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Lange was one of the original members of the Johns Hopkins melanoma group when it was first formed in 1995 and now serves as a clinical co-director of the Melanoma Program. Dr. Lange introduced the sentinel node technique to Johns Hopkins for both melanoma and breast cancer in the 1990s and has extensive experience with this technique. Dr. Lange is a graduate of the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and completed her general surgery training at Yale-New Haven Hospital. She completed a fellowship in surgical oncology and immunotherapy at the Surgery Branch of the National Cancer Institute as well. Dr. Lange joined the faculty of the Department of Surgery at Johns Hopkins in 1994 and subsequently earned a Sc.M. in clinical investigation at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. She has particular interest in melanoma at extremes of age, and in the factors associated with variance in melanoma care. Dr. Lange has published the largest study of melanoma in children, adolescents and young adults. She recognizes that melanoma in the older patient is a growing epidemic and has investigated the socioeconomic, demographic and healthcare factors that influence the treatment of melanoma in older persons. Dr. Lange is a member of the melanoma panel of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a group that annually evaluates and revises national treatment guidelines for melanoma. In 2015, she was inducted for her work into the Miller-Coulson Academy of Clinical Excellence, which recognizes outstanding clinicians at Johns Hopkins based on a number of factors, including communication and interpersonal skills, professionalism and humanism, a scholarly approach to clinical practice, and a passion for patient care. Dr. Lange is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma. Her top areas of expertise are Melanoma, Breast Cancer, Paget Disease of the Breast, Angiosarcoma, and Lymphadenectomy.

Advanced in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
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Advanced in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
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Luminis Health Medical Group, LLC

2003 Medical Pkwy, Suite 301, 
Annapolis, MD 
 (21.5 miles away)
Languages Spoken:
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Glen Gibson is a Surgical Oncologist and a General Surgeon in Annapolis, Maryland. Dr. Gibson is rated as a Distinguished provider by MediFind in the treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma. His top areas of expertise are Familial Pancreatic Cancer, Melanoma, Familial Colorectal Cancer, Hernia Surgery, and Hepatectomy. Dr. Gibson is currently accepting new patients.

William Burns
Advanced in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
General Surgery | Surgical Oncology
Advanced in Merkel Cell Carcinoma
General Surgery | Surgical Oncology

Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center

601 North Caroline Street, Floor 8, Floor 8, 
Baltimore, MD 
 (1.2 miles away)
Languages Spoken:
English
Offers Telehealth

William Burns, M.D., is an assistant professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a surgeon within the Division of Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary & Gastrointestinal Surgical Oncology at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Prior to joining the faculty at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Burns served as an assistant professor of surgery at the University of Michigan, as well as an attending physician at the University of Michigan Health Systems and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System. Dr. Burns received his medical degree from Yale University School of Medicine and was awarded a research training fellowship by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. He completed an internship and residency in general surgery at The Johns Hopkins Hospital followed by clinical fellowship training in complex general surgical oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Additionally, he completed postgraduate research fellowships in the field of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology at the National Cancer Institute and the MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Burns specializes in treating patients with tumors of the pancreas and gastrointestinal tract, sarcoma and melanoma. He is trained in traditional and minimally invasive surgical techniques. Furthermore, he works closely with colleagues in medical and radiation oncology to provide comprehensive cancer care. His research focuses on immune cell-tumor cell interactions to improve outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer, cancer immunotherapy for solid tumors, the role of lymph node surgery in the treatment of cancer, and human biospecimen analysis to guide therapy in patients with cancer. He is a member of several professional societies, including the American College of Surgeons, Society of Surgical Oncology, Association of Academic Surgery, and Society of Immunotherapy for Cancer. Dr. Burns is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Merkel Cell Carcinoma. His top areas of expertise are Neuroendocrine Tumor, Familial Pancreatic Cancer, Familial Colorectal Cancer, Small Bowel Resection, and Pancreatectomy.

Areas of Expertise

MediFind evaluates expertise by pulling from factors such as number of articles a doctor has published in medical journals, participation in clinical trials, speaking at industry conferences, prescribing and referral patterns, and strength of connections with other experts in their field.

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