Principal Investigator
Professor and Director
Georgia Cancer Center, Medical College of Georgia
Dr. Cortes is a worldwide expert in leukemia research, with unique expertise in clinical and translational research, particularly myeloid leukemias. For the last 30 years, his efforts have focused on developing new therapies and predictive models for leukemia, reducing the toxicity of cancer therapy, and improving quality of life of patients under treatment. Dr. Cortes is a global leader in pivotal clinical trials. His team efforts resulted in the FDA-approval of 4 drugs for treatment of patients with leukemia (bosutinib, ponatinib, omacetaxine, glasdegib). Additionally, he actively participated in the development and FDA-approval of CPX-351, gilteritinib, quizartinib, and crenolanib.
As director of the Georgia Cancer Center, Dr. Cortes goals has extended to reducing the disparities in cancer diagnosis and treatment that some populations face in order to building strategies and interventions to accelerate progress toward health equity in cancer. He is leading the Teledermatology in Rural Georgia Program that provides remote consultations (telemedicine/teledermatology) for patients with skin lesions by partnering primary care providers practicing at clinics in rural Georgia with expert physicians in Department of Dermatology at Augusta University. He is also involved in the effort to provide partnerships with health systems and clinics in eleven counties in Georgia to implement interventions aiming at increasing colorectal cancer screening rates among underserved patients.
Dr. Cortes Research Team
Health Sciences Campus
Georgia Cancer Center - M. Bert Storey Research Building
1410 Laney Walker Blvd., CN-2222 Augusta, GA 30912
(706) 446-5732
Clinical Trials
Our experienced clinical research team at Georgia Cancer Center offers a wide range of clinical trials aimed at developing new therapeutic options for hematologic malignancies, including leukemia. Clinical trials provide access to the most innovative treatment, closer medical monitoring, and reduced cost of drugs.
LEARN MORE ABOUT CURRENT CLINICAL TRIALS
AT THE GEORGIA CANCER CENTER
Drug Development for Leukemias
To accelerate and optimize drug development, we are characterizing clinical trials of anti-leukemic drugs to identify predictive factors favoring the success of clinical trials.
Epidemiological, Clinical and Molecular Characterization of Patients with Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML)
Our research focuses on understanding the clinical relevance of the molecular circuitry that rules CML onset and progression, the optimal treatment protocol, the management of adverse events, and the criteria for successful discontinuation of treatment.
Management and Treatment Outcomes of Hematologic Malignancies in Standard Practice
We use longer follow-ups involving large cohorts of patients with Hematologic Malignancies to improve patient management in terms of risk stratification, prognostication, and treatment strategies.
Social Determinants of Health in Cancer Care
We are interested in understanding to what degree the Social Determinants of Health contribute to cancer outcomes disparities. Identifying these influences is a critical step to building strategies and interventions towards health equity in cancer.
Teledermatology in Rural Georgia
The goal of this program is to reduce health disparities and inequities in skin cancer screening for people living in rural, underserved, and underpopulated regions of the State of Georgia through a two-pronged approach by:
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TELEDERMATOLOGY
IN RURAL GEORGIA PROGRAM
icon Marisol Miranda-Galvis, PhD
Dr. Miranda earned her dental degree from the University of Antioquia in her native Colombia (2012). Her passion for research led her to pursue a Master of Science degree in 2016 and culminating in a PhD in Pathology from the University of Campinas, Brazil (2019). Throughout her academic pursuits, Dr. Miranda's training was funded by three prestigious international scholarships, which allowed her to expand her research endeavors to the University of Michigan between 2018 and 2019.
Since 2021, Dr. Miranda serves the Georgia Cancer Center as a clinical researcher. Her primary focus lies in the realm of clinical and translational studies within the field of hematology oncology, with a particular emphasis on Myeloid Leukemia. She is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of patients and advancing the frontiers of medical knowledge through a blend of scientific inquiry, collaborative efforts, and an unwavering commitment to patient-centered care.
As a clinician and member of an underrepresented group, Dr. Miranda possesses a heightened awareness of the profound disparities in cancer survival that are often driven by Social Determinants of Health. Consequently, she maintains a special interest in meticulously evaluating and proactively addressing any potential disparities in cancer care and research that may disproportionately affect marginalized populations.
Dr. De Medeiros is a Bachelor in Biological Sciences and a Medical Doctor. As a Biologist, she was involved in macrophage and HIV research, and has 12+ years of Clinical Hemotherapy Experience. As a Medical Doctor, she has 3+ years of experience as a General Practitioner at Emergency rooms, ICUs and Telemedicine. As a Researcher, she has 4 publications and worked as a Post Doctoral Fellow in both University of Virginia and Augusta University.
Dr. De Medeiros is proud to be part of the Georgia Cancer Center Clinical Research team, which gives her the opportunity to participate in the patient care and help developing new anti leukemic drugs.
She believes learning is a continuous proccess and this belief pushes her forward. She is currently getting her Master of Public Health degree, and she believes this knowledge will enable her to take better care of the patients.
Dr. Tijoe received her DDS from the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2007. Following dental school, she completed a Master of Science in Oral Medicine, a PhD in Oral Pathology, and specialty training in Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology. In addition, she was the recipient of three competitive fellowships to improve her research skills at the University of Paris (2013), British Columbia Cancer Centre (2013), and University of Michigan (2018).
She served as an Assistant Professor for Sao Paulo State University (Unesp) and University of Sao Paulo (USP) from 2015 to 2022. There, she has published several peer-reviewed manuscripts and supervised PhD and MSc students.
Dr. Tjioe joined the Georgia Cancer Center in 2022 as a researcher and her main focus is the development of a machine learning and AI-based model to predict cancer survival outcomes using large-volume data. In addition, she has serving as the research manager for a multicenter initiative from RAD-AID International to increase the access of medically underserved women living in Georgia to cervical and breast cancer screening.
Dr. Santellano began her medical journey at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. She dedicated her academic career to clinical research in the cardio-pulmonary field, worked as a primary contact physician in emergency and outpatient services and shared her knowledge as a professor of Clinical Propedeutics at Xochicalco University, School of Medicine.
In 2022, she joined the Georgia Cancer Center. Here, she works on the project ECHO focused on Cancer Screening, as well as Teledermatology in Rural Georgia program. She volunteers at MCG Clinica Latina, committed to serving the Hispanic/Latino community, which further fuels her mission to enhance healthcare equity.
Beyond her professional activities, Dr. Santellano enjoys hiking, and her favorite trails include Angels Landing in Zion and Panther Creek Falls in Georgia.
Dr. Sharara, a medical doctor and clinical researcher, believes that a patient's well-being extends beyond the boundaries of mere biological factors. He emphasizes the intricate nature of health, advocating for a comprehensive approach that encompasses psychological, social, and clinical considerations in patient care.
His research interest focuses on hematological malignancies, addressing treatment disparities, and improving patients’ quality of life. He was awarded the Young Investigator Award at the Society of Hematologic Oncology (SOHO) annual meeting in 2023.
He holds his medical degree from the Alexandria Faculty of Medicine, Egypt.
Dr. Syam is a seasoned medical professional with extensive academic and research credentials. He did his medical schooling at Dhaka University and received a Master of Public Health (MPH) from the University of South Asia, Bangladesh. He has over a decade of clinical work experience in different healthcare settings at home and abroad. He mentored young physicians in his medical college, led the COVID-19 frontline team, and vaccinated thousands of people in Oman. Moreover, Dr. Syam's role as a researcher involved contributing to multifaceted research projects spanning different fields of medical science. He has authored several peer-reviewed articles.
Since 2022, he has been working with the Georgia Cancer Center to extend his career in ground-breaking oncology research. As a proud team member of GCC, he is currently working in hematology-oncology research. His scientific projects under development include:
- Improve cancer survival by implementing precision medicine and assisting in clinical
trials of new anticancer drugs for evidence-based clinical practice.
- To reduce health disparities through analyzing social determinants of health (SDH)
and allostatic load influence in treatment outcomes of oncologic patients in the
real world.
