Dr. Sunil Singhal

About Sunil Singhal

Accolades

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  Pleural and Lung Cancer

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  Excellence in Research

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  Team Leader

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  Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

Currently serving the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine as assistant professor of surgery and the director of the Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratory, Singhal specializes in cancers of the lung and esophagus, minimally invasive surgery, mediastinal disease and mesothelioma.

“Our focus is to improve more than just outcomes, but the quality of life in patients with lung, esophageal and mesothelial cancers.”

Singhal is highly esteemed for his innovative research efforts, evidenced by the numerous awards and grants he has earned since 2007, the year he started the Thoracic Surgery Research Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. Under his direction, the laboratory strives to design new treatment strategies for mesothelioma, esophageal cancer and lung cancer with vanguard discoveries in molecular biology, immunotherapy, nanotechnology and gene therapy.

Research and Clinical Trials

In 2011, Singhal and his team of researchers secured a $7 million, five-year Transformative Research Project Award sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. This funding currently supports clinical trials of a nonradioactive nanoparticle dye called Indocyanine Green. Singhal aspires to perfect this new technology to help distinguish cancer cells from surrounding tissues, identify diseased lymph nodes and ultimately change the paradigm for cancer surgery. This would mark great improvements to current imaging and surgical methods for all cancers, and in turn, result in more saved lives.

Quick Fact:

Dr. Singhal was awarded a five-year, $7 million Transformative Research Project Award from the National Institutes of Health in 2011.

In addition to his work for the University of Pennsylvania Health System, Singhal is also the chief of thoracic surgery at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center. There he develops minimally invasive surgeries to provide cancer care for veterans in the Delaware Valley.

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Publications

Singhal has published more than 40 peer-reviewed research articles, five of which demonstrate his expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. He has also reviewed a variety of research publications and co-wrote a textbook titled Surgical Foundations: Essentials of Thoracic Surgery.