Nicole Kounalakis



Curriculum Vitae

CURRENT POSITION

Nicole Kounalakis MD

Assistant Professor, Surgery

University of Colorado Denver Health Sciences

12631 East 17th Ave, Mailstop C313, Room 6001

Aurora, CO 80045

Telephone: 303-724-2728

Fax: 303-724-2733

Nicole.Kounalakis@ucdenver.edu

EDUCATION

2007-2009 City of Hope National Medical Center-Duarte, CA

Department of General Oncologic Surgery

Surgical Oncology Fellowship

2007. University of Medicine and Dentistry-Robert Wood Johnson Medical

School (UMDNJ-RWJMS)- New Brunswick, New Jersey

Surgical Residency

2002. UMDNJ-RWJMS- New Brunswick, New Jersey

Internship, General Surgery

1997-2001 University of Medicine and Dentistry (UMDNJ)-Newark, New Jersey

Medical School

1993-1997 Barnard College, Columbia University, NYC, NY

BA Biology

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

2009-present Assistant Professor of Surgery

University of Colorado Health Science Center

Aurora, CO

2009. Administrative Surgical Oncology Fellow

City of Hope Medical Center

Duarte, CA

2009. Clinical Instructor, Surgery

City of Hope Medical Center

Duarte, CA

2006-2007 Clinical Instructor, Surgery

UMDNJ-RWJMS

New Brunswick, New Jersey

2007. Administrative Chief Surgical Resident

UMDNJ-RWJMS

New Brunswick, New Jersey

AWARDS/HONORS

2011,2012 Grateful Patient Award

University of Colorado School of Medicine

Aurora, CO

2010 Dean’s Academic Enrichment Fund Award

University of Colorado School of Medicine

Aurora, CO

2009 Terrell McElliott Fellowship Award

City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA

2007. William Burks, M.D. Surgeon Humanist Award

UMDNJ-RWJMS-New Brunswick, NJ

2006 Excellence in Research Award

UMDNJ-RWJMS-New Brunswick, NJ

2000 Dedication to Community Service Award

UMDNJ- Newark, NJ

1997 Cum Laude Graduate

Barnard College, Columbia University

1996 Howard Hughes Grant Award Recipient

Barnard College, Columbia University

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP

2011-present Institution Principal Investigator, NRG

2010-present Institution Principal Investigator, American College of Surgeons

Operative Group (ACOSOG)

2007-Present Member, Society of Surgical Oncologists

2002-Present Member, American College of Surgeons

2001-Present Member, Association of Women Surgeons

COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS AND ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES

2012-present Member, Scientific Advisory Board for R25 grant to teach cancer

survivorship to rural primary care physicians

2009-2010 Course Director, Mountain States Cancer Day

University of Colorado Health Science Center

Aurora, CO

2010 Surgical Liaison for Cancer Survivorship Clinic

University of Colorado Cancer Center

Aurora, CO

2009. Judge for the School of Medicine Mentored Scholarly Activity

University of Colorado Health Science Center

Aurora, CO

2006-2007 Resident Coordinator of Surgical Education

UMDNJ-RWJMS, New Brunswick, NJ

2006-2007 Editor of Surgical Residency Educational Web Page

UMDNJ-RWJMS, New Brunswick, NJ

2002-2007 Board Member, Curriculum Committee

UMDNJ-RWJMS, New Brunswick, NJ

1999. Cofounder, Students Teaching AIDS to Students,

UMDNJ-Newark, NJ

LICENSURE

2010. Colorado State Medical License

48155

2007 American Board of Surgery

Board Certified

2007 California State Medical License

A99425

REVIEW AND REFEREE WORK

2009-present Ad hoc reviewer for Annals of Surgical Oncology

2012-present Ad hoc reviewer for Expert review of Anticancer Therapy

EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Medical student, Resident and Paraprofessional Education

|Activity |Audience |Years |

|Course director for breast center nurse |Nurse practitioners |2012-present |

|practitioner lecture series | | |

|Surgical management of breast disease |3rd year surgical clerkship, created a lecture series on| 2012-present |

| |management of breast disease for medical students |Every 6 wks |

|Sentinel lymph node biopsy |Pathology residents |2011 |

|Hereditary Breast Cancer |Genetic Counseling students |2010 |

|Multidisciplinary Management of Breast |General Surgery Residents |2009,2010, 2011 |

|Cancer | | |

|Surgical Advances in Treatment |Grand rounds: Surgery Attending Staff and Residents |2010-2013 |

|of Breast Cancer | | |

|Starting a Multidisciplinary Breast Clinic|Visiting Russian Physicians |2010 |

|Surgical Management of Breast Cancer |Medical Oncology Fellows |2009, 2010, 2012 |

|Multidisciplinary breast and melanoma |Supervision and bed side teaching or surgical residents,|2009-presents |

|conference |medical students | |

COMMUNITY SERVICE

|Event |Activity |Topic |Years |

|University of |Panel to talk and answer questions to |Women in surgery |2011, 2013 |

|Colorado Surgical Society|medical students | | |

|9 Health Fair |Skin Exams |Skin cancer |2010, 2011 |

|Doctor Line 9, |Answer questions for lay public |Cancer |2009 |

|Channel 9 call-in program | | | |

|Colorado Cancer Day |Talk to lay public |Interpreting your Pathology |2009, 2010, 2012 |

| | |Reports; surgical management of | |

| | |breast cancer | |

GRANT SUPPORT

2009-present DEF Surgery Seed Grant for melanoma research $9000

RESEARCH PROJECTS

1. As institutional principal investigator of the NSABP, I have opened 2 collaborative trials in this position

a. NSABP 43: A randomized phase III trial to determine the value of trastuzumab given during radiation therapy compared to radiation therapy alone in patients with Her2neu+ DCIS treated with a lumpectomy. 2011-pesent

b. NSABP 47: A randomized phase III trial comparing chemotherapy alone (6 cycles of docetaxel plus cyclophosphamide or 4 cycles of doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide followed by weekly paclitaxel) to chemotherapy plus trastuzumab in women with node-positive or high-risk node-negative HER2-low invasive breast cancer. 2013-present

2. As institutional principal investigator of ACOSOG, I have opened one trial and am in the process of opening a second trial

a. ACOSOG Z1071: A randomized phase II trial evaluating the role of sentinel lymph node surgery and axillary lymph node dissection following preoperative chemotherapy in women with node-positive breast cancer. Opened 2009-2011

b. ACOSOG Z11102: A randomized phase II trial determining if breast conservation is a safe surgical approach for patients with multicentric breast cancer. Plan to open March, 2013

3. I collaborate with the University of Colorado Cutaneous Oncology Translation research program, to study the following topics

a. significance of RET proto-oncogene in desmoplastic melanoma primary tumors. 2010-present

b. significance of excisional biopsy vs fine needle aspirate in the diagnosis, surgical outcomes and survival of stage III melanoma

c. outcomes of our institution’s sentinel lymph node biopsy procedure

d. the effects of neoadjuvant systemic treatment on surgical outcomes in stage III melanoma patients. University of Colorado Cancer Center 2009-present

4. I collaborate with the University of Colorado Young Women’s Breast Cancer Translational Research Program to study potential therapeutic targets in young women with breast cancer and in pregnancy associated breast cancer.

5. Analyzed City of Hope Breast Cancer database to identify specific risk factors associated with MRI-only detected abnormalities. City of Hope Medical Center 2008-2009

6. Examined expression of biomarkers of metabolism: fxr, β catenin, errα and γ in breast cancer tissue. City of Hope Medical Center 2007-2009

7. Queried the SEER database to determine the role of surgical resection in the treatment of anal canal adenocarcinoma. City of Hope Medical Center 2007-2009

8. Analyzed how LPS modulates human monocyte function by altering Cdc42 protein expression and by stimulating integrin function. UMDNJ-RWJMS, Department of Surgical Sciences 2003-2004

.

PUBLICATIONS (peer reviewed)

1.Kounalakis N , Amato C, Barr B, Kile, D, Robinson W. Desmoplastic melanoma:

Correlation of Clinical outcome with a SNP in RET Annals of Surg Onc Accepted

with revisions

2. Stovall R, Pearlman N., Gao D., Barnett C, Jones E, Gajdos C, Kounalakis N,

Gonzalez R, Lewis K, Robinson W, McCarter M. Prognosis Following a Failed (Not

Found) Sentinel Lymph Node Procedure for Melanoma. Submitted for review

Archives of Surgery

3. Jones E, Jones T, Pearlman N, Gao D, Stovall R, Gajdos C, Kounalakis N,

Gonzalez R, Lewis K, Robinson W, McCarter M. Long term followup and survival

following a recurrence after a negative sentinel lymph node biopsy for melanoma.

JAMA Surg. 2013 Jan 16:1-6

4. Kounalakis N, Gao D, Gonzalez R, Becker M, Lewis K, Poust J, Pearlman N,

Robinson W, McCarter M. A neoadjuvant biochemotherapy approach to stage III

melanoma; analysis of surgical outcomes. Immunotherapy. 2012 Jul;4(7):679-86.

5. Banda M, Speyer C, Semma S, Osuala K, Kim H, Kounalakis N, Torres K, Barnard

N, Sloane B, Miller F, Goydos J, and Gorski D Metabotropic glutamate receptor-1

signaling is oncogenic in triple negative breast cancer. Oncogene 2013 Accepted

pending revisions

6. Barr J, Amato C, Robinson S, Kounalakis N, Robinson W. The RET g691s

polymorphism is a germline variant in desmoplastic melanoma. Melanoma Research

2012 Feb 22

7. Kounalakis N, Pezner, R, Kruper L. Partial breast irradiation in a patient with

CREST syndrome. Brachytherapy. 2011 Feb 23

8. Kounalakis N, Diamond J, Rusthoven K, Horn W, Jindal S, Wissel J, Klein C, Elias

A, Finlayson C, Borges V. A Young Women Presenting With Pleomorphic Lobular Carcinoma in situ on Core Biopsy is Subsequently Diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma. Oncology. 2011 April 15;25(4):351-6

9. Kounalakis N, Artinyan, A, Smith, D, Mojica-Manoso, P, Paz I, Lai L. Abdominal

perineal resection improves survival for non-metastatic adenocarcinoma

of the anal canal. Ann Surg Oncol. 2009 May;16 (5):1310-5.

10. Kounalakis N, Corbett S. Lipopolysaccharide Transiently Activates THP-1 Cell

Adhesion. J Surg Res. 2006 Sep;135(1):137-43

11. Kounalakis N, Goydos J. Tumor cell and circulating markers in melanoma:

diagnosis, prognosis, and management. Curr Oncol Rep. 2005 Sep;7(5):377-82

12. O’Gara BA, Brown PL, Dlugosch D, Kandiel A, Ku JW, Geier JK, Henggeler NC,

Abbasi, Kounalakis N. Regulation of pharyngeal motility by FMRFamide and

related peptides in the medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis.Invert Neurosci.

1999-2000;4(1): 41-53.

PRESENTATIONS

1. Stovall R, Kounalakis N, McCarter M Prognosis following a Failed (Not Found)

Sentinel Lymph Node Procedure for Melanoma. Poster Presentation American College of Surgeons 2012

2. Kounalakis N, Amato C, Barr J, Robinson W. Desmoplastic melanoma: a germline

SNP in RET (G691S) predicts risk and recurrence. Poster Presentation American

Society of Clinical Oncology 2011

3. Kounalakis N, Gao D, Gonzalez R, Becker M, Lewis K, Poust J, Pearlman N,

Robinson W, McCarter M. Neoadjuvant therapy in stage III melanoma patients

undergoing a regional lymph node dissection. Poster Presentation Society of Surgical Oncology, San Antonio, Tx 2011

4. Senthil M, Behrendt C, Gonser L, Kounalakis N, Mackenzie S, Ellenhorn J,

Gargeroglio C, Yim JH. Utility of preoperative magnetic resonance imaging in breast cancer. Poster Presentation Society of Surgical Oncology, San Antonio, Tx 2011

5. Kounalakis N, Gonzalez R, Becker M, Lewis KD, Christenson A, Pearlman N,

Robinson W, McCarter M. Neoadjuvant systemic treatment and surgical outcomes in stage III melanoma patients. Oral Presentation European Association of Dermato-Oncology, Athens, Greece June 2010

6. Kounalakis, N, Lau S, Darling D, Palomares M, Smith D Lai L. The nuclear

receptor FXR links metabolism with breast cancer. Poster Presentation. San

Antonio Breast Conference, December 2009

7. Kounalakis, N, Artinyan, A, Mojica-Manoso, P, Paz I, Lai L. Definitive surgical

resection for non-metastatic anal canal adenocarcinoma improves overall survival. Poster Presentation. American Society of Clinical Oncology: The Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, Orlando, Florida, January 2008

8. Kounalakis, N, Mohan Raj Bk, Corbett, S. LPS Regulates CDC42 Protein Stability.

Oral Presentation. Society of University Surgeons, Nashville, Tennessee, February 2005

9. Kounalakis, N, Corbett, S. Lipopolysaccharide Transiently Activates THP-1 Cell

Adhesion. Oral Presentation. Association for Academic Surgery, Houston, Texas, November 2004

BOOK CHAPTERS/EDITORIALS

1. Advances in Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapy for Breast Cancer, Current Surgical Therapy, 11th edition Work in progress

2. Breast Cancer Management: Editorial on ‘the shifting ground on limited axillary lymph node dissection’ Work in progress

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