Elizabeth Mittendorf, MD, PhD, MHCM: A Leader in Breast Cancer Research and Immunotherapy Elizabeth Mittendorf, MD, PhD, MHCM, is a distinguished surgical oncologist and researcher recognized for her pioneering work in breast cancer immunotherapy. She currently serves as the Chief of Multi-Disciplinary Oncology and co-leader of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She holds leadership roles as co-leader of the Breast Program for the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center and is set to join Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) as Chief of a newly created Division of Breast Surgery within the Department of Surgery. Dr. Mittendorf’s academic and professional journey reflects a deep commitment to advancing cancer care. She earned her medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, where she also completed a residency in General Surgery. Following her residency, she served on active duty in the United States military before pursuing a fellowship in Surgical Oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. She further strengthened her expertise by obtaining a PhD in Immunology from the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at Houston. Dr. Mittendorf is board certified by the American Board of Surgery. Her research focuses on harnessing the immune system to combat breast cancer, with particular emphasis on immunotherapy approaches. Dr. Mittendorf’s laboratory was among the first to demonstrate the expression of the immune checkpoint molecule PD-L1 in triple negative breast cancer, a finding that has informed subsequent therapeutic strategies. She has served as the principal investigator on multiple clinical trials, including the phase 3 PRESENT study (Prevention of Recurrence in Early-Stage, Node-Positive Breast Cancer with Low to Intermediate HER2 Expression with NeuVax Treatment), which investigates a vaccine-based approach to prevent recurrence in specific breast cancer subtypes. Dr. Mittendorf has led a multicenter phase 2 trial evaluating the combination of a CD8+ T cell eliciting vaccine with trastuzumab, grounded in preclinical data from her laboratory and supported by a Breakthrough Award from the Department of Defense. This trial followed a phase 1 study she conducted that established the safety of the vaccine-trastuzumab combination. Her work also extends to investigating novel therapeutic combinations, such as ipatasertib and atezolizumab in triple negative breast cancer, supported by Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C). Beyond her research, Dr. Mittendorf holds academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she serves as the Karen and Rob Hale Distinguished Chair in Surgical Oncology and Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Surgery. She also functions as Co-Director of Clinical Research for the Breast Oncology Program at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Through her leadership in clinical innovation, translational research and multidisciplinary collaboration, Dr. Elizabeth Mittendorf continues to shape the future of breast cancer treatment, particularly in the realm of immunotherapy, with the goal of improving outcomes for patients worldwide.
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