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Welcoming New Faculty – Kim Insua de la Cruz, MD

Please join us in welcoming Kim Insua de la Cruz, MD, as a new faculty member in the Department of Surgery.

Kim Insua de la Cruz, MD
Associate Surgeon, Division of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery
Section Chief, Aortic Surgery

Dr. de la Cruz graduated from the University of the Philippines in Manila with a Bachelor of Science in biology as well as his medical degree. He completed his general surgery residency at the Brooklyn Hospital Center and a thoracic surgery residency at the Texas Heart Institute/Baylor College of Medicine, where he also completed an aortic surgery fellowship.

He is board certified by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery and is a member of various societies, including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS), the American College of Cardiology (ACC), the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) and the Society of Asian Academic Surgeons (SAAS). Dr. de la Cruz is also a reviewer for the Journal of Aorta and the Journal of Medicine and Surgery.

Before joining the Brigham, Dr. de la Cruz was the director of Aortic Surgery at the Methodist Healthcare System/HCA San Antonio Division and previously served as an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery of the Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine. At the Brigham, he will serve as the inaugural section chief of aortic surgery in the Division of Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery.

Dr. de la Cruz is committed to improving quality of life of patients with cardiovascular disease through evidence-driven patient care. He has particular clinical expertise and research interests in complex aortic reconstruction, particularly open thoracoabominal aortic aneurysm (TAAA) repair, valve-sparing aortic root replacement, mechanical and bioprosthetic aortic root replacement, aortic arch surgery, open/endovascular/hybrid aortic repairs, repair of aortic dissections and management of aortic pathology in those with connective tissue disorders.

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Welcoming New Faculty – M. Reza Afrasiabi, MD

Please join us in welcoming M. Reza Afrasiabi, MD, as a new faculty member in the Department of Surgery.

M. Reza Afrasiabi, MD
Associate Surgeon, Division of Trauma, Burn and Surgical Critical Care

Dr. Afrasiabi graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics. Prior to medical school, he worked as a fixed-income derivatives research analyst at JP Morgan. He received his medical degree from the Creighton University School of Medicine and completed residency training in general surgery at Saint Joseph Hospital in Chicago. Subsequently, he completed fellowships in surgical critical care and acute care surgery at the Brigham.

Dr. Afrasiabi’s clinical interests include trauma surgery, emergency general surgery and robotic assisted minimally invasive surgery. His research interests include quality improvement and outcomes analysis within the entire realm of surgical critical care and acute care surgery.

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Monica Bertagnolli, MD, Appointed Next Director of the National Cancer Institute by President Biden

Monica Bertagnolli, MD
Group Chair, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology
Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery in the Field of Surgical Oncology, Harvard Medical School

Today, President Joe Biden announced his intent to appoint Dr. Bertagnolli as the 16th – and first woman – director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). See the complete White House announcement here.

Dr. Bertagnolli, a surgical oncologist, clinical researcher and the Richard E. Wilson Professor of Surgery in the Field of Surgical Oncology at Harvard Medical School, has dedicated her career to improving the lives of patients with cancer.

Dr. Bertagnolli specializes in the surgical care of patients with gastrointestinal cancer and sarcoma, collaborating closely with colleagues in Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology and Pathology to deliver comprehensive, patient-centered care. She is a clinical researcher who has long advocated for increasing diversity in cancer research. Additionally, she has an impressive history of basic science work in the laboratory, where she has focused on understanding the role of the inflammatory response in epithelial tumor formation.

Dr. Bertagnolli’s credentials and tremendous accomplishments throughout her career have prepared her for this key role. These include leading several initiatives within NCI-funded Cancer Cooperative Groups, where she facilitated integration of tumor-specific molecular markers into nationwide cancer treatment protocols, improving the care and outcomes of patients across the country. She has also held numerous leadership roles in multi-institutional cancer clinical research groups, currently serving as the group chair of the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, a nationwide NCI-funded clinical trials group. Additionally, she is the CEO of Alliance Foundation Trials, LLC, a not-for-profit corporation that conducts international cancer clinical trials. 

Dr. Bertagnolli graduated from Princeton University and attended medical school at the University of Utah. She trained in surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and was a research fellow at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.