Rutika Mehta

Rutika Mehta MD, MPH is an Associate Professor in Medicine and Attending Physician at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Mehta received her medical degree at Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai, India. She subsequently completed a Masters in Public Health with a focus on Epidemiology at Indiana University, Indianapolis. She spent three years as a Research Fellow in the Department of Pathology at Indiana University School of Medicine. She then completed her training in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins University/Sinai Hospital of Baltimore followed by a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. After completing her hematology and oncology training, Dr. Mehta joined the gastrointestinal (GI) oncology department at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. At Moffit Cancer Center, Dr. Mehta worked with many renowned leaders in the field and was instrumental in building the clinical and research program for upper GI malignancies. She was selected as a Castle Connolly “Top Doctor” for three straight years in the Tampa Bay area (2022-2024). She is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and serves as a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Taskforce for Esophagogastric Cancers. Dr. Mehta was recruited to Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) in 2024. Her clinical and research efforts will focus on all GI cancers with a particular emphasis on developing clinical trials utilizing novel treatment options and advancing the field through precision medicine.

Cathy Eng, MD, FACP, FASCO, Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, is the David H. Johnson Endowed Chair of Surgical and Medical Oncology, VICC Associate Director of Strategic Relations and Research Partnerships, Executive Director of the Young Adults Cancers Program. She was the Ambassador for the American Cancer Society ResearcHERS campaign (2020-2022). She is a highly sought mentor and served on the Vanderbilt-Ingram Mentorship Council and is currently a mentor on the T-32 grant and serves on the Professional Development Mentor. She continues to assume leadership positions devoted to development of phase I-III clinical trials using novel therapeutics for biomarker discovery and enhanced drug utilization in colorectal, appendiceal and anal cancer patients.

Nationally, Dr. Eng has also been highly active serving on multiple committees for ASCO, ECOG, and SWOG. She was chosen for the ASCO Leadership Development Program, ASCO Social Media Committee, the ASCO Colorectal Guidelines Committee, ASCO Scientific Program Committee (Colorectal Cancer Track) and the ASCO Communications Committee. She has served as the co-chair of the SWOG Rectal/Anal Cancer Subcommittee; the Vice-Chair for the SWOG GI Committee; the Chairman of the NCI Rectal/Anal Task Force, member of the NCI GI Steering Committee, and is now the co-Chair of the NCI GI Steering Committee. She participated in the President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot White House Colorectal Cancer Forum.

She has published in many peer-reviewed journals and served on many national grant review panels.

Yelena Y. Janjigian, MD is a Professor and Chief of the Gastrointestinal Oncology Service, Carroll and Milton Petrie Chair at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). A physician-scientist, leading translational research and clinical innovation to improve outcomes for patients with GI cancers.

Dr. Janjigian earned her BS from UC San Diego and MD from NYU School of Medicine, completing her residency at NYU/Bellevue and fellowship at MSK. Her research focuses on the molecular characterization of gastroesophageal cancers, driving therapeutic development and brining new drugs to the clinic. She has published over 140 papers in The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, Lancet Oncology, Lancet, and Nature, with more than 33,000 citations and an H-index of 61.

An elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI), and Fellows of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (FASCO). Dr. Janjigian serves on the Board of Giants of Cancer Care, Debbie’s Dream Foundation and holds leadership roles in ASCO and AACR. She is also the Scientific Chair for ESMO 2026. Her research, funded by NIH, DOD and SU2C, has shaped new treatment standards in GI oncology.
Beyond research, she is a dedicated mentor, driving innovation and training the next generation of oncology leaders.

Dr. Tiago Biachi de Castria is an Associate Member in the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr. Biachi de Castria received his MD degree from Universidade Federal de Ciências da Saúde de Porto Alegre, Brazil. He also obtained a Doctorate degree in Internal Medicine and Therapeutics from São Paulo Federal University. He completed his Residency in Internal Medicine at São Paulo Federal University and his Clinical Oncology Fellowship at the São Paulo University - São Paulo Cancer Institute. Dr. Biachi de Castria was an attending in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Service at the São Paulo Cancer Institute and Sírio-Libanês Hospital. In 2021, he obtained the title of Associate Professor in Gastroenterology Service (São Paulo University) and Associate Professor in Postgraduate Course in Medical Oncology (São Paulo University). Dr. Biachi de Castria most completed a one-year Advanced Fellowship in Gastrointestinal Oncology Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center before joining Moffitt Cancer Center. Dr. Tiago Biachi de Castria’s clinical and research interest is in gastrointestinal malignancies, including biomarkers and drug development.

Rutika Mehta MD, MPH is an Associate Professor in Medicine and Attending Physician at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Mehta received her medical degree at Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai, India. She subsequently completed a Masters in Public Health with a focus on Epidemiology at Indiana University, Indianapolis. She spent three years as a Research Fellow in the Department of Pathology at Indiana University School of Medicine. She then completed her training in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins University/Sinai Hospital of Baltimore followed by a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. After completing her hematology and oncology training, Dr. Mehta joined the gastrointestinal (GI) oncology department at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. At Moffit Cancer Center, Dr. Mehta worked with many renowned leaders in the field and was instrumental in building the clinical and research program for upper GI malignancies. She was selected as a Castle Connolly “Top Doctor” for three straight years in the Tampa Bay area (2022-2024). She is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and serves as a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Taskforce for Esophagogastric Cancers. Dr. Mehta was recruited to Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) in 2024. Her clinical and research efforts will focus on all GI cancers with a particular emphasis on developing clinical trials utilizing novel treatment options and advancing the field through precision medicine.

Rutika Mehta MD, MPH is an Associate Professor in Medicine and Attending Physician at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Mehta received her medical degree at Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai, India. She subsequently completed a Masters in Public Health with a focus on Epidemiology at Indiana University, Indianapolis. She spent three years as a Research Fellow in the Department of Pathology at Indiana University School of Medicine. She then completed her training in Internal Medicine at Johns Hopkins University/Sinai Hospital of Baltimore followed by a fellowship in Hematology/Oncology at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York. After completing her hematology and oncology training, Dr. Mehta joined the gastrointestinal (GI) oncology department at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. At Moffit Cancer Center, Dr. Mehta worked with many renowned leaders in the field and was instrumental in building the clinical and research program for upper GI malignancies. She was selected as a Castle Connolly “Top Doctor” for three straight years in the Tampa Bay area (2022-2024). She is an active member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) and serves as a member of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Taskforce for Esophagogastric Cancers. Dr. Mehta was recruited to Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) in 2024. Her clinical and research efforts will focus on all GI cancers with a particular emphasis on developing clinical trials utilizing novel treatment options and advancing the field through precision medicine.