Duaa H. Al-Rawi, MD, PhD

I am a gynecologic medical oncologist who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, and cervical cancer.

I became interested in the field of oncology while I was pursuing my PhD at the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. During my doctoral training, I studied the biochemical functions of the genes that lead to higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer, including the BRCA1 gene. My interactions with physician-scientists and their patients inspired me to care for people diagnosed with cancer.

This led me to transition to medical school at Stanford University where I pursued an internal medicine residency. I enjoy caring for patients and I connected most strongly with the women who came to me for care, which led me to focus on gynecologic medical oncology. I pursued my medical fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK), one of the few centers where medical oncologists treat people with gynecologic cancers. I was excited by the opportunity to train at MSK and feel deeply privileged to care for people with gynecologic cancers.   

A cancer diagnosis can emotionally and physically challenging and I aim to create a warm environment for my patients. Beyond providing excellent clinical care, I welcome patients from diverse backgrounds and aim to honor their values. This extends from respecting cultural and religious values, using preferred pronouns, and being open during challenging discussions. I aim to support both my team and my patients to create a culture of mutual respect.

My research is focused on modeling and detecting early invasive ovarian cancer by studying serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC) lesions, which are benign lesions inside the fallopian tube. People with STIC lesions may be at higher risk of developing cancer and I use single cell sequencing and spatial transcriptomics to research how these lesions can lead to ovarian cancer.

I am passionate about improving treatment and detection of ovarian cancer through a better understanding of how ovarian cancer originates or develops. It is critical that we provide monitoring for people who are found to have STIC lesions while we work to identify their levels of risk for cancer and determine the best surveillance and treatment guidelines for them.

Outside of clinical care and research, I enjoy spending time with my family, going to farmers markets, traveling, exploring New York City, and cooking.