Get to Know ICRN Researchers: Q&A

What does being part of the ICRN or affiliated with CCF mean to you?

ICRN and CCF have a patient-centric focus that inspires everyone involved to work together to improve outcomes of patients with cholangiocarcinoma. I have been taking care of patients with this devastating disease since 2014, and the significant impact of ICRN and CCF on patients’ lives is clear in my day-to-day clinical work as a radiation oncologist and in my research work in the lab. Being a part of these research groups and witnessing how much we have improved lives is such a wonderful feeling that brings fulfillment and hope to me. There is still much to be done though, and I firmly believe that the collaborative, patient-centric approach that we use will help us overcome the challenges ahead.

As a senior researcher, what advice would you give to early-career professionals?

When you start an academic career, it is important to develop a niche for yourself—an area (or areas for more ambitious folks)—of focus that you are known for. It is helpful to have a mentorship team that is composed of people who are committed to your success and who will give you constructive feedback about your ideas. That team should include people outside of your discipline so that you get a broader perspective. Once you have received input about your ideas from different perspectives, pursue what you are passionate about in research and maintain your focus on that. If you are working on something that you find interesting and important, it won’t feel like work; it will be your passion. 

What message of hope would you share with CCA patients about your work?

We have seen significant progress for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma in just a few years, thanks to the teamwork and advocacy efforts of international teams, many of whom are working with ICRN and CCF. Multiple new targeted drug treatment options have been approved for this disease, and new technologies are emerging. Thanks to our successes, we are seeing significant investment from industry into this disease. To maintain progress and continue this journey of hope for patients, we need everyone to continue to support the research efforts through advocacy, fundraising, and participation in research.  

Fun Question: What’s the last movie, book, or concert you enjoyed?

I’m a big fan of science, science fiction, action, and adventure stories. I recently re-read Walter Isaacson’s Einstein, and really enjoyed the movie documentary about Demis Hassabis (entitled “Thinking Game”), which described the backstory about his Nobel prize winning work on predicting protein structure with an AI algorithm called AlphaFold.

What does being part of the ICRN or affiliated with CCF mean to you?

Being affiliated with CCF has been very special to me. It gives me a sense of belonging to a larger community of dedicated, thoughtful, and compassionate people, each one bringing a different expertise and perspective. Yet we are all aligned in the same mission: to help patients and their loved ones face this challenging cancer.

It has given me the opportunity to learn from and collaborate closely with other physicians and scientists who are leading progress in this field. That exchange of ideas, experience, and innovation is incredibly energizing and meaningful.

I also deeply value the unique and supportive community these organizations create for patients and their families. Seeing patients as active members, advocating for themselves, engaging with researchers, and supporting one another provides a powerful and humbling perspective. It reminds me why we do this work and strengthens my commitment to advancing better care.

Being part of this community is a privilege honestly.

As a junior investigator, how has getting involved with CCF helped your career?

Getting involved with CCF has been one of the most impactful and important experiences of my career. I moved from Italy to the United States in 2017 as a postdoctoral fellow working with Dr. Azad at Johns Hopkins. I had always been passionate about gastrointestinal cancers, particularly biliary tract cancers, and at the time, I was working on a novel clinical trial to enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy in cholangiocarcinoma. For that trial, I was awarded the ASCO YIA supported by the CCF 

As an immigrant building a career in a new country, the path can feel especially uncertain. There are fewer funding mechanisms you are eligible for early on, and you often feel that you must work twice as hard to prove yourself. Receiving the CCF Young Investigator Award was truly transformative and a pivotal moment for me. It was the first meaningful grant that supported me during a critical phase of establishing myself as an independent investigator.  That support felt like validation, not only of the science/tria  but of my potential. It is a testament to the CCF community that they invest in individuals from diverse backgrounds and are willing to see promise in people, sometimes even more than we see in ourselves.

Since then, I have had the opportunity to work closely with other investigators in the CCF community, collaborate on projects, and build lasting professional and personal relationships. I truly believe that many of the subsequent advances in my career were made possible by the early support, mentorship, and sense of belonging that CCF provided.

What message of hope would you share with CCA patients about your work?

Over the last few years, we have made progress that truly felt impossible when I first started working on this disease. We now understand much more about the molecular makeup of these cancers, and that knowledge has rapidly translated into new targeted therapies and immunotherapy options for a growing number of patients.

My work focuses on understanding how the genetic features of these tumors interact with the immune microenvironment, and how we can design better combinations to harness the immune system against these cancers.

We have moved from an era where chemotherapy was almost the only option to one where multiple targeted and immune-based therapies are available. At the same time, there is a growing recognition that patients benefit from multidisciplinary care where all available expertise and treatments are considered together.

I am truly optimistic that as our scientific understanding and technologies continue to evolve, we will continue to improve treatment options and move closer to earlier detection of these cancers.

There is still a lot of work to do, but the progress we are seeing gives me real hope for what lies ahead.

Fun Question: What’s the last movie, book, or concert you enjoyed?

My last two concerts were Kendrick Lamar and Burna Boy, two of my favorite artists of all time, so I felt incredibly lucky to see them live.

I am currently reading the book The Courage to Be Disliked, and it will probably be one of those books I go back to over and over again. I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in personal growth.

Movie: Sinners. A must-see and totally deserving of all the accolades.