Lydia Usha, MD is a medical oncologist specializing in female cancers and genetic predisposition to cancer with 20 years of experience.
Usha is interested in novel therapeutics for cancer treatment and prevention. She has been the principal investigator for the two national studies of new biologic and chemotherapeutic agents in ovarian cancer through the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG 170J and GOG 126O). She has also been a site principal investigator and co-investigator for a number of adjuvant and metastatic trials in breast and gynecologic cancers sponsored by cooperative groups and industry. These trials included trials with PARP inhibitors in metastatic and adjuvant settings.
Usha directs the RISC (Rush Inherited Susceptibility to Cancer) Program and does genetic counseling and testing for cancer predisposition. As an expert in cancer genetics, she was a site PI for several screening studies for women at increased risk for breast and ovarian cancers including NSABP STAR trial and GOG199. She has also been a collaborator in several grant applications investigating novel biomarkers and imaging modalities for early detection of ovarian cancer in high-risk women.
Usha is a cancer researcher whose projects include primarily clinical trials but also, translational research. She has completed the study which investigated the role of mesenchymal stem cells in initiation and progression of breast cancer in a murine model. She is currently working on a project investigating the effect of xenogeneic cells on ovarian and breast cancers in a murine model.
