Laleh Melstrom, M.D., M.S.
(Medicine is) far and away the most rewarding profession you can have.
Location
Duarte Cancer Center
Duarte, CA 91010
Education & Experience
2007, M.S., Clinical Investigation, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL
2003, M.D., Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, NY
1999, BA (Biology), Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD
2010-2012, Fellow, Surgical Oncology - Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
2005-2007, Research Fellow, Surgery-Pancreas Lab - Robert H Lurie Cancer Center of Northwestern Memorial Hospital
2007-2010, Resident, General Surgery - Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
2003-2005, Intern, General Surgery - Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, IL
2021-present, Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2018-2021, Assistant Professor, Department of Immuno-Oncology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2015-present, Assistant Professor, Division of Surgical Oncology, Department of Surgery, City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2015-2018, Assistant Professor, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA
2012-2015, Assistant Professor in Surgery, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, NJ
2010-2012, Clinical Instructor in Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, NY
Research
Dr. Melstrom explores novel therapies for metastatic colorectal cancer and pancreas cancer. She has developed patient-derived pancreatic cancer xenografts to study novel therapies and examines RNA methylation's role and mechanism in colorectal cancer.
Dr. Melstrom has a research program in telemonitoring and patient-generated health data to optimize outcomes. She is the principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health-funded study evaluating the feasibility, acceptability and efficacy of an intensive telemonitoring program after major abdominal gastrointestinal surgeries. Her team offers patients devices that can measure their vital signs, physical activity and patient-reported symptoms outcomes. The intent is to identify serious complications before their presentation.
Awards & Memberships
Awards
1997, Provost’s Award for Undergraduate Research
1997, Maryland Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Outstanding Achievement Award, Varsity Tennis, Johns Hopkins University
1998, Kilpatrick Prize in Chemistry
2007, Edelstone-Bendix Basic Science Research Prize, Northwestern Department of Surgery
2009, Northwestern University Alpha Omega Alpha
2009, Chicago Surgical Society Annual Award for Surgical Research, First Prize
2014, Rutgers Outstanding Attending Teaching Award, Department of Surgery
Memberships
Fellow, Member, American College of Surgeon, 2004-present
Member, Society of Surgical Oncology, Training Committee, 2014-2017
Program Committee Member, Academic Surgical Congress, 2018 and 2019
Program Committee Member, SSAT for Hepatobiliary, 2018 and 2019
Membership Committee Member, AHPBA, 2018
Association of Women Surgeons Coaching Project - Coach 2018
Member, Alliance GI Committee, 2018-present
Member, SSO Gastrointestinal Disease Site Workgroup, 2019-2021
Publications Committee Member, Association of Academic Surgeons, 2019-2021
Publications
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Tran, T., Razavi, M., Clark, K., Losclzo, M., Kruper, L., Raoof, M., Woo, Y., Trisal, V., Fong, Y., & Melstrom, L. Emotional Distress and Financial Toxicity in Younger Adults Undergoing Oncologic Surgery. Annals of Surgery. Jul 15 2022. PMID 35838403.
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Nguyen, A., O’Leary, M., DeAndrade, J., Ituarte, P., Warner, S.G., Melstrom, L.G., Kessler, J., Fong, Y., Li, D., & Singh, G. Presentation and survival of gastro-entero-pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in young adults versus older patients. American Journal of Surgery. 2022 May; 223(5): 939-44 PMID 34474917.
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Malhotra, G.K., Tran, T., Stewart, C., Battey, H., Tegtmeier, B., McNeese, K., Flood, A., Melstrom, L., & Fong, Y. Pandemic Operating Room Supply Shortage and Surgical Site Infection: Considerations as We Emerge from the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Apr 1; 234(4):571-578.
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O’Leary, M.P., Wang, C., Sandhu, J., Malhotra, G.K., Thornblade, L.W., Lau, S.C., Melstrom, L.G., Fong, Y., Singh, G., & Fakih, M.G. Salvage Regional Therapy using Hepatic Artery Infusion Pump in Unresectable Chemotherapy Resistant Colorectal Liver Metastases. American Journal of Surgery. 2022 Jun; 223(6): 1151-1156. PMID 34696847.
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Tran, T.B., Wong, P., Raoof, M., Melstrom, K., Fong, Y., & Melstrom, L. The Evolving Gender Distribution in Authorship Over Time in American Surgery. American Journal of Surgery. 2022 May 25: S0002-9610 PMID 35718543.
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Park, K.M., Rashidian, N., Mohamedaly, Brasel, K.J., Conroy, P., Glencer, A.C., He, J., Passeri, M.J., Katariya, N.N., Asleidi, A., & TrainHPB research group. Unifying the Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery Fellowship Curriculum via Delphi Consensus. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. 2021. Sep; 233(3): 395-414.
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Tran, T.B., Raoof, M., Melstrom, L.G., Kyulo, N., Shaikh, Z., Jones, V.C., Erhunmwunsee, L., Fong, Y., & Warner, S.G. Racial and ethnic bias impact perceptions of surgeon communication. Annals of Surgery. 2021 Oct 1; 274(4):597-604. PMID 34506314.
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Thornblade, L.W., Wong, P., Li, D., Warner, S.G., Raoof, M., Kessler, J., Amini, A., Lin, J., Chung, V., Singh, G., Fong, Y., & Melstrom, L.G. Patters of Whole Genome Sequencing and Actionable Mutations in Resected Cholangiocarcinoma. Cancers. 2021 Aug 12; 13(16): 4062 PMID 34439216.
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Egelston, C.A., Avalos, C., Guo, W., Simons, D., Tan, J., Lim, M.H., Huang, Y., Nelson, M.S., Schmolze, D., Yim, J.H., Kruper, L., Melstrom, L., Margolin, K., Mortimer, J., Yuan, Y., Wiasman, H., & Lee, P.P. Single-cell derived CD8+ T cell exhaustion signature identifies poor outcome estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer patients. JCI Insight. 2022 Feb 8; 7(3): e153963. PMID 35132960.
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Phan, T.X., Nguyen, V., Buettner, R., Morales, C., Yang, L., Wong, P., Tsai, W., d’Alincourt, M., Gil, Z., Diamond, D.J., Rabinowitz, J.D., Rosen, S., & Melstrom, L.G. Inhibition of de novo pyrimidine synthesis augments Gemcitabine induced growth inhibition in an immunocompetent model of pancreatic cancer. International Journal of Biological Sciences. 2021 Jun 1; 17(9):2240-2251. PMID 34239352.
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Thornblade, L.W., Warner, S.G., Melstrom, L.G., Ituarte, P.H.G., Chang, S., Li, D., Fong, Y., & Singh, G. Does surgery provide a survival advantage in non-disseminated poorly differentiated gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine neoplasms? Surgery. 2021. PMID 33637345.