Dr. Cathy Eng

Dr. Eng directs the Young Adult Cancers Program and co-leads the Gastrointestinal Cancer Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. She holds the David H. Johnson Endowed Chair in Surgical and Medical Oncology. She serves as Professor of Medicine in Hematology and Oncology. She practices in Nashville, Tennessee at the Vanderbilt-Ingram campus. She joined Vanderbilt-Ingram after over a decade at MD Anderson Cancer Center where she specialized in gastrointestinal malignancies. Her clinical focus includes colorectal, anal, and appendiceal cancers. She serves as Institutional Principal Investigator for SWOG trials. She holds Fellow status in the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American College of Physicians. 

 

Dr. Eng’s research centers on early-onset colorectal cancer and the challenges it poses. Her team developed a comprehensive framework for studying incidence trends and risk factors in younger patients. They analyze lifestyle, genetic, and microbiome influences on tumor development. She investigates immunotherapy strategies for HPV-associated anal cancers, leading trials of PD-1 inhibitors with chemoradiation. She co-authored an international multidisciplinary review of treatment advances in colorectal cancer. Her laboratory studies circulating tumor DNA as a predictive biomarker for treatment response. Collaborations with genomic scientists refine molecular classifications of gastrointestinal tumors. Her findings inform clinical protocols that personalize therapy. Her work is supported by NCI grants and cooperative-group funding. She mentors investigators in trial design and multicenter collaboration.

 

Dr. Eng integrates academic service with clinical leadership through extensive teaching and guideline development. She directs oncology fellowship seminars on evidence-based practice and patient-centered communication. She co-chairs the NCI Gastrointestinal Steering Committee and serves as Vice-Chair of the SWOG GI Committee. She contributes to NCCN guideline panels for colorectal and anal cancer management. International collaborations align clinical trial protocols across research networks. She serves on editorial boards of oncology journals and peer-reviews manuscripts. She promotes continuous quality improvement by analyzing outcomes data to refine clinical pathways. She engages patient advocacy groups to align initiatives with community needs. She strives to foster a learning environment that bridges research discoveries with clinical application.