Dr. Elizabeth M. Nichols

Dr. Kleinberg specializes in the radiation treatments, including stereotactic radiosurgery, of brain and spinal tumors. Areas of research include both tumors arising in the central nervous system and tumors metastasizing from other locations. He also specializes in the treatment of esophageal tumors and has led national clinical trials in both therapy of brain tumors as well as esophageal cancer. Dr. Kleinberg has been recently named in the US News and World Report list of top 1% of doctors in his specialty. He is the co-chair of the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Brain Tumor Working Group, Vice-Chair of the NCI Cooperative Group Steering Committee for Esophageal and Gastric Tumors, and is a member of the NCI Cooperative Group Steering Committee for Gastrointestinal Tumors. He is also on the American College of Radiation Oncology Neurologic Cancer Practice Accreditation Team. Make A Gift. Dr. Kleinberg is highly rated in 28 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Glioblastoma, Astrocytoma, Brain Tumor, Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery, and Gamma Knife Radiosurgery.

Russell Hales, M.D., is an assistant professor of radiation oncology and molecular radiation sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He also is director of the thoracic multidisciplinary clinic. His research focuses on reconstructing health delivery models to enhance value and improve clinical outcomes. He also studies the effect of immunotherapy and RT in thoracic tumors. Dr. Hales was awarded an R21 grant to study the use of dynamic MRI in predicting tumor motion in patient with lung cancer. Taken together, his research focuses on optimizing patient outcomes using resources from physics, engineering, biology and health delivery systems. Dr. Hales’ efforts extend beyond radiation oncology and clinical management. He has helped to lead in the thoracic oncology program, which includes 20 faculty members and nearly 50 staff, to help chart a vision for this program’s future. In the last four years, the program has gradually transitioned from The Johns Hopkins Hospital campus to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Dr. Hales was tasked to head the building and design committee that worked with architects to create a structure conducive to 21st century oncology care. His work extends beyond the bricks and mortar of the new cancer center today to team development within the thoracic oncology program. Simply put, the thoracic oncology move was designed to conceptualize the transition of care from department-based to disease-based medicine. As such, Dr. Hales has worked to integrate the efforts of specialists in medical oncology, thoracic surgery, interventional pulmonology, pathology and radiology. These experts share a clinical space focused on thoracic malignancies and bring a patient-centered model of care to their group. Dr. Hales graduated from Brigham Young University Summa Cum Laude and Valedictorian in 2001. He attended Johns Hopkins Medicine and graduated with an M.D. in 2005. He trained on the Osler Medical Service and attended residency at Johns Hopkins. He joined the faculty at Hopkins in 2010. Dr. Hales focus in program building, research and clinical endeavors is robust, but he understands the key role of academia in training future leaders in medicine. He has been awarded Teacher of the Year in the department of radiation oncology at Hopkins for three of the last six years. He is a well-respected lecturer and travels nationally to speak at conferences and educational workshops about novel therapies in lung and esophagus cancer. Make A Gift. Dr. Hales is highly rated in 18 conditions, according to our data. His top areas of expertise are Lung Cancer, Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC), Thymic Epithelial Tumor, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), and Endoscopy.

Akila Viswanathan, M.D., M.P.H., is the director for the Department of Radiation Oncology and Molecular Radiation Sciences, and a professor of radiation oncology, gynecology/obstetrics and oncology for Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Viswanathan leads the department emphasizing excellence in clinical care, research and education. She has expertise with gynecologic cancers and their treatment, including cervical and uterine cancers and image-guided brachytherapy. She has developed numerous clinical innovations and initiated several system-wide integration efforts at all sites, including Green Spring Station, Bayview, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Suburban's Rockledge site, and Sibley Memorial Hospital for the Johns Hopkins Department of Radiation Oncology. Dr. Viswanathan earned her undergraduate degree at Harvard University, her medical degree at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, followed by her Masters in Public Health and Masters in Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed a residency in radiation oncology at the Joint Center for Radiation Therapy at Harvard Medical School, where she served as chief resident. She has had research grant funding through the National Cancer Institute K07, R21 and R01 programs to support efforts in gynecologic cancers, specifically looking at the identification of gynecologic tumors at the time of brachytherapy under magnetic resonance imaging. The research team has developed several novel clinical innovations. Dr. Viswanathan has been named one of America's Top Doctors by Newsweek, Who’s who in America, and a Super Doctor by the Washington Post magazine. Dr. Viswanathan served as President and Chair of the Board of the American Brachytherapy Society; Chair of Education Committee for American Society for Radiation Oncology; and, on the Gynecologic Cancer Steering Committee and the uterine cancer task force for the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Akila Viswanathan has published more than 200 articles and chapters, and lectures nationally and internationally. She is the Editor-in-Chief for Seminars in Radiation Oncology. She is on the editorial board of Gynecologic Oncology and Brachytherapy, and is an editor of several textbooks including Gynecologic Radiation Therapy: Novel Approaches to Image-Guidance and Management, Radiation Therapy Techniques for Gynecologic Cancers, and Gunderson and Tepper's Clinical Radiation Oncology. Make A Gift. Dr. Viswanathan is highly rated in 10 conditions, according to our data. Her top areas of expertise are Vaginal Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Vulvar Cancer, Vulvectomy, and Cordotomy.