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Cherie P. Erkmen, MD, Named Director of Lung Cancer Screening Program at Temple University Hospital

News July 22, 2014

Cherie P. Erkmen, MD, has been appointed Director of the Lung Cancer Screening Program at Temple University Hospital, and Associate Professor of Surgery at Temple University School of Medicine, effective July 21, 2014.  

Prior to joining Temple, Dr. Erkmen was Assistant Professor of Surgery and Medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, as well as Chief of the Thoracic Oncology Program at Dartmouth's Norris Cotton Cancer Center in Lebanon, NH. At Dartmouth, she launched a ground-breaking lung cancer screening program which focused on a shared decision-making process between patients and their physicians.

"It's an exciting time to be a part of Temple," said Dr. Erkmen.  "Developing a lung cancer screening program gives me an opportunity to connect with colleagues across disciplines and with the surrounding community. It is a privilege to join the thoracic surgery team under the mentorship of both Dr. Abbas Abbas and Dr. Larry Kaiser. I look forward to working with the talented and innovative team addressing lung disease at Temple."
 
"We are pleased to be able to bring a surgeon with the experience and skills of Dr. Erkmen to Temple," said Abbas El-Sayed Abbas, MD, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Temple University Hospital. "She has a history of strong leadership and those qualities will be invaluable as she leads the development and growth of Temple's comprehensive Lung Cancer Screening Program."

Dr. Erkmen specializes in lung cancer, esophageal cancer, thymoma, thymic carcinomas, chest wall tumors and rib fixation. Her research focuses on novel intraoperative imaging techniques, modeling of esophagectomy for research purposes, and shared decision-making with lung cancer screening.

Board-certified in General Surgery and Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Erkmen earned her Undergraduate Degree from the University of California at Berkeley and her Medical Degree from UCLA Medical School.  She completed a General Surgery Residency and Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. Dr. Erkmen also earned the prestigious American Association of Thoracic Surgery Traveling Fellowship, which she completed in Chiba, Japan.

Dr. Erkmen is a frequent presenter at national meetings and an NIH-funded investigator who has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed articles, abstracts and textbook chapters. She has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including the Norris Cancer Center Award for Excellence, the Dartmouth Institute $25,000 Prize for Clinical Program Development for her role in building a multidisciplinary Esophageal Cancer Program and the Society of Surgical Oncology Award for Basic Science Presentation. Dr. Erkmen is a member of the American College of Surgeons, the American Association of Chest Physicians, the Society of Thoracic Surgery and the American Society of Clinical Oncology.