Our Team Approach

Dr. Russell Witt is a surgical oncologist with expertise in the treatment of patients afflicted with cutaneous malignancies and soft tissue sarcoma. He is an alum of the University of California Davis, where he earned his medical degree and a master's degree in Clinical Research. Dr. Witt's extensive training includes a rigorous general surgery residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, followed by a research fellowship at the University of California San Francisco where he worked on in utero hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and enzyme replacement therapy for lysosomal storage disorders. He then completed surgical oncology fellowship at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Dr. Witt brings a depth of knowledge and experience to his practice, striving to provide compassionate and state-of-the-art care to his patients

Dr. Chunyan Cao is a dedicated and accomplished medical professional with a diverse background in healthcare and is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab. She earned her medical degree from Hebei Medical University in China and honed her expertise in Emergency Medicine through additional training at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. She has come to the University of Virginia for her Postdoctoral Fellowship and dedicates her full attention to cutting-edge melanoma research. Dr. Cao's commitment to advancing medical science and her passion for improving patient outcomes make her an invaluable asset to the team.

After completing Mastering in Microbiology, Dr. Shafiei began working at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dr. Don Rockey’s lab focusing on wound healing and the extracellular matrix remodeling in liver fibrosis. She then obtained a Ph.D. focusing on adipocyte-derived factors “adipokines” or “adiponectin” and identifying the role these factors serve in the physiology and pathophysiology of obesity. She went on to study a variety of subjects including Toll-like receptors, liver steatosis, COVID-19 and extracellular vesicles derived from tumors cells. She joined the Witt lab in early 2024 to focus on how obesity influences melanoma treatment responses.

Dade is from Reisterstown, MD. She is a second-year undergraduate planning on majoring in Biology. Outside of the lab, Dade enjoys watching movies, spending time with family and friends, and creating art.

Shivangi is from Fairfax, Virginia. She is a second-year student in the College of Arts and Sciences looking to major in Biology while minoring in Psychology and Studio Art. In her free time, Shivangi enjoys dancing, hiking, and painting.

Allan Tsung, MD, joined the School of Medicine as the chair of the Department of Surgery in June 2022. He came to UVA from The Ohio State University College of Medicine, where he served as professor and chief of the Division of Surgical Oncology in the Department of Surgery. Dr. Tsung earned his medical degree from the SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn, then completed his residency in surgery and a fellowship in hepatobiliary and pancreas surgery at the University of Pittsburgh. He specializes in evaluating and caring for patients with liver, bile duct and pancreas cancers and is an expert in laparoscopic and robotic surgery

With a training background as an MD and PhD student from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Hongji Zhang has an extensive experience in immunology and molecular biology research. Dr. Zhang decided to pursue a career in translational research following the completion of his postdoctoral training at Ohio State University and subsequently joined the faculty at the University of Virginia. His overarching research goal is to provide novel strategies for the prevention and treatment of these diseases, with a particular emphasis on investigating the hepatic immune responses following pre-operative exercise therapy (PEx). Dr. Zhang expects the PEx to be of great use to researchers and physicians at the University of Virginia and beyond to facilitate the development of PEx for patients undergoing liver resections and minimize the risk of tumor relapse in other organs (e.g., the kidney and lung) after major surgeries.

Xinghua Liao serves as the laboratory manager for the Witt and Tsung labs, contributing her wealth of experience and expertise in laboratory management, research methods, and administration. She plays a vital role in our team, overseeing daily lab operations, facilitating lab growth, and implementing innovative strategies to streamline workflow within the group.

Susan is a general surgery resident in the first year of her post-doctoral research fellowship in the Tsung/Zhang lab. She received her medical degree from Tufts University School of Medicine and is currently pursuing her master's degree in clinical research. Her research in the Tsung/Zhang lab focuses on the interaction between neutrophil extracellular traps and tumor microenvironment in metastatic cancers as well as socioeconomic disparities in cancer outcomes. She additionally works with Dr. Witt on clinical outcomes research.

Mohamad El Moheb, MD is a general surgery resident at the University of Virginia. He received his undergraduate and medical degrees from the American University of Beirut. He then completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Massachusetts General Hospital, where he focused on developing interpretable AI models in Surgery. Dr. El Moheb is currently in his first year of research in the lab and is pursuing a master's degree in data science. His research focuses on studying the genetic basis of cancer and developing AI applications in surgical practices.

Kaelyn Cummins, MD is a general surgery resident at the University of Virginia working in the Tsung/Zhang lab. She is originally from Maryland but received her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine before coming back to the East Coast. She is studying the interaction of immune therapies with the tumor microenvironment, disparities in surgical outcomes, and the genetic basis of common surgical diseases. She is also working towards a master's degree in clinical research.