Sunanda Pejavar, M.D.


WORK HISTORY

9/2011 – Present
X-Ray Medical Group Radiation Oncology, Inc.

  • Full-time Radiation Oncologist and Partner

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

7/2007 – 6/2011
University of California San Francisco, Department of Radiation Oncology

  • Resident Physician: 2007 – 2011
  • Chief Resident: 2009 – 2010
  • Residency Match Selection Committee: 2010 – 2011
  • Global Health Clinical Scholar: 2010 – 2011

7/2006 – 6/2007
California Pacific Medical Center, Department of Internal Medicine

  • Preliminary Intern

2002 – 2006
Yale University School of Medicine

  • Degree: MD, 2006
  • Alpha Omega Alpha (AOA) Medical Honor Society
  • Parker Prize recipient (awarded annually to the graduate who “shows the best qualifications for a successful physician”)

1996 – 2000
University of California at Berkeley

  • Degree: BA, 2000 (Summa Cum Laude)
  • Major: History/Pre-Med; Minor: Spanish Language and Literature
  • Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society
  • Mortar Board National Honor Society (President), Prytanean Honor Society (Committee Chair), Dean’s List Honors (8 of 8 semesters).

RADIOTHERAPY TECHNIQUES

  • Intensity modulated and 3-D conformal radiotherapy
  • Pinnacle, Corvus, and MIM treatment planning systems
  • Gamma Knife radiosurgery
  • CyberKnife radiosurgery (intracranial, spine, lung, gastrointestinal, prostate, and metastatic tumors)
  • Prostate radioactive low-dose rate and high-dose rate brachytherapy implants
  • High-dose rate interstitial and intracavitary brachytherapy for gynecological and head/neck cancers
  • Intraoperative radiation therapy with Mobetron and Intrabeam machines
  • Hyperthermia

RESEARCH

Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California San Francisco (2007 – 2011)

  • Involved in three projects:
    1. Outcome in Young Women treated with Breast Conserving Therapy
    2. The Role of Radiation in Pediatric Intracranial Ependymoma
    3. Computer-Assisted Target Volume Delineation in Prostate Cancer
  • Poster presentations at ASTRO Annual Meetings (2008, 2009, 2010).

Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Yale School of Medicine (2005 – 2006)

  • Analyzed nodal failure as a function of treatment with/without irradiation or axillary dissection in  conservatively treated breast cancer patients.  Abstract accepted as oral presentation at American Radium Society Meeting (2006).  Manuscript published in 2006.

Emerging Infections Program, Yale School of Public Health (2004 – 2006)

  • Multi-clinic study investigating the predictors of chronic liver disease in HIV positive patients.

Waldman Lab, UCSF Cancer Center (Research Associate, 2000 – 2002)

  • Examined genomic and expression alterations in bladder cancer.  Designed experiments using both
    DNA and RNA (cDNA) microarrays. Collaborated on multiple manuscripts published 2003-2005.

PUBLICATIONS

Pejavar S, Weinberg V, Flowers C, Schechter N, Fowble B.  Characteristics and Outcome after Breast Conservation Therapy (BCT) in Young Women with Invasive Breast Cancer: Role of Ethnicity, Molecular Subtype, and Mammographic Density.  Manuscript in preparation.

Pejavar S, Hwang A, Speight J, Gottschalk A, Hsu I, Yom SS, Roach M, Xia P. Computer-Assisted, Atlas-Based Segmentation for Target Volume Delineation in Whole Pelvic IMRT for Prostate Cancer. Manuscript under review; submitted 5/2011.

Pejavar S, Polley M, Rosenberg-Wahl S, Chennupati S, Wara WM, Prados MD, Berger MS, Banerjee A, Gupta N, Haas-Kogan D. Pediatric Intracranial Ependymoma: The Roles of Surgery, Radiation and Chemotherapy.  Manuscript under revision.

Pejavar S, Haas-Kogan D. Chapter 11: Rare Tumors. Pediatric CNS Tumors, 2nd Edition, Eds. Banerjee A, Haas-Kogan D, Gupta N; Springer 2010, 205-222.

Pejavar S, Hansen EK, Schechter NR. “Chapter 9: Larynx and Hypopharynx Cancer. “Handbook of Evidence-Based Radiation Oncology, 2nd Edition, Eds. Hansen E & Roach M, New York; Springer 2010, 145-163.

Pejavar S, Hansen EK, Yom SS. “Chapter 12: Unusual Neoplasms of the Head and Neck. “Handbook of Evidence-Based Radiation Oncology, 2nd Edition. Ed. Hansen E & Roach M, New York; Springer 2010, 191-195.

Pejavar S, Rembert J, Gottschalk A. “Chapter 24: Renal Cell Carcinoma.” Handbook of Evidence-Based Radiation Oncology, 2nd Edition. Ed. Hansen E & Roach M, New York; Springer 2010, 411-418.

Pejavar S, Wilson L, Haffty B. Regional nodal recurrence in breast cancer patients treated with conservative surgery and radiation therapy (BCS+RT).  International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics 66(5): 1320-1327, 2006.

Pejavar S, Henrich TJ, Lauder N, Forbes N, Wagner K, Salvana J, Weissman S, Jackson PE, Durante A, Sofair AN.  Prevalence and Predictors of Chronic Liver Disease in an Urban HIV Population. Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine 79(2): 43–81, 2006.

Blaveri E, Brewer JL, Roydasgupta R, Fridlyand J, DeVries S, Koppie T, Pejavar S, Mehta K, Carroll P, Simko JP, and Waldman FM. Bladder cancer stage and outcome by array-based comparative genomic hybridization. Clinical Cancer Research 11: 7012-7022, 2005.

Blaveri E, Simko JP, Korkola JE, Brewer JL, Baehner F, Mehta K, DeVries S, Koppie TM, Pejavar S, Carroll P, and Waldman FM. Bladder cancer outcome and subtype classification by gene expression.  Clinical Cancer Research 11: 4044-4055, 2005.

Veltman JA, Fridlyand J, Pejavar S, Olshen AB, Korkola JE, DeVries S, Carroll P, Kuo WL, Pinkel D, Albertson D, Cordon-Cardo C, Jain AN and Waldman FM.  Array-based comparative genomic hybridization for genome-wide screening of DNA copy number in bladder tumors. Cancer Research 63(11): 2872-80, 2003.

Korkola JE, Estep AL, Pejavar S, DeVries S, Jensen R and Waldman FM. Optimizing stringency for expression microarrays. Biotechniques 35(4): 828-35, 2003.

PRESENTATIONS

Pejavar S, Weinberg V, Flowers C, Schechter N, Fowble B.  Characteristics and Outcome after Breast Conservation Therapy (BCT) in Young Women with Invasive Breast Cancer: Role of Ethnicity, Molecular Subtype, and Mammographic Density (poster presentation). To be presented at ASTRO Annual Meeting, San Diego CA, Oct 31 – Nov 4, 2010.

Pejavar S, Polley M, Rosenberg-Wahl S, Chennupati S, Wara WM, Prados MD, Berger MS, Banerjee A, Gupta N, Haas-Kogan D. Pediatric Intracranial Ependymoma: The Roles of Surgery, Radiation and Chemotherapy (poster presentation).  ASTRO Annual Meeting, Chicago IL, Nov 1–5, 2009.

Pejavar S, Hwang A, Speight J, Gottschalk A, Hsu I, Yom SS, Roach M, Xia P. Computer-Assisted, Atlas-Based Segmentation for Target Volume Delineation in Whole Pelvic IMRT for Prostate Cancer (poster discussion). ASTRO Annual Meeting, Boston MA, Sept 21–25, 2008

Pejavar S, Wilson LD, Haffty BG. Regional Nodal Recurrence in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with Conservative Surgery and Radiation Therapy (oral presentation). American Radium Society 88th Annual Meeting, Maui HI, May 6–10, 2006.

Korkola JE, Estep AL, Pejavar S, DeVries S, Chew K, Ljung BM, Cunha G, Meng Z, Dairkee S, Jensen R and Waldman FM.  Expression Analysis of Breast Tumors Using cDNA Microarrays (poster presentation). Joint Breast and Prostate Scientific Retreat, San Francisco, 2002.
 
Pejavar S, Koppie TM, Shinohara K, Carroll PR.  Incidence and Predictors of Positive Biopsy in Men with Multiple Negative Prostate Biopsies (poster presentation). Joint Breast and Prostate Scientific Retreat, San Francisco, 2002.

  • Award Winner: Best Prostate Cancer Clinical Investigation Poster

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS

  • American Society of Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)

LEADERSHIP

  • Committee on Well-Being of Students, Yale. Co-Chair, 2003-04; Representative, 2002 – 2003
  • APAHSA Annual Diwali Cultural Show, Yale. Co-Chair, 2004; Dance Choreographer, 2002 – 2004
  • Mortar Board National Honor Society, UC Berkeley. President, 1998-99. Organized fundraising and outreach projects, awarded annual scholarship, acted as delegate in National Conference.
  • YWCA Student Volunteer Board, Berkeley.  Member, 1997 – 1998
  • Camp counselor at Camp Okizu, a camp for children with cancer. (1998 – 2001)

TEACHING

  • Facilitator for Students Teaching AIDS to Students (STATS) at Yale.  (2002 – 2004)
  • MCAT Organic Chemistry Instructor through Princeton Review. (2000 – 2002)
  • Organic chemistry instructor at UC Berkeley Science and Learning Center. (1998 – 2000) 
  • Teaching Assistant for Public Health Seminar. (Spring, 1999)

SELECTED INTERESTS

  • Language: Competency in Spanish and Kannada (South Indian dialect)
  • Travel: Lived in Costa Rica (2 months, 2006), Spain (6 months, 2000), and India (3 months, 2001)
  • Dance: Competitive dance team (1992 – 1994); Dance/Vocal Performing Group (1995 – 1996)
  • Choreographer/Dancer in South Asian Cultural Shows and YMS 2nd Year Show (2002 – 2005)
  • Violin: Lessons and annual recitals for 12 yrs; California Youth Symphony performer (1991 – 1993)

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

  • Global Health Clinical Scholars Program, University of California, San Francisco (2010 – 2011)
  • Selected as part of a cohort of clinical scholars who carry out scholarly projects in global health.  Involved in a study evaluating cervical cancer screening in resource-poor settings.
  • Intern for the HIV Patient Longitudinal Care Program at Yale Medical School. (2003 – 2006)
  • Acted as an assisting primary HIV care provider to a HIV positive patient in New Haven.
  • State-certified HIV test counselor at San Francisco Glide-Goodlett Program. (1998 – 2002)
  • Provided HIV counseling, education and resources, and administered HIV tests and results to the residents of an underserved and high-risk community in San Francisco.
  • Project Coordinator for T.H.I.N.K. Program (Tenderloin Health, Information, and Knowledge) at Glide Memorial in San Francisco. (1998)
  • Conducted community focus groups and published educational brochures on topics such as IVDU and domestic violence that were distributed to community organizations around SF.