Dr. Erminia Massarelli, MD is currently an Associate Professor of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics Research; Section Chief of Thoracic Oncology, and Co-Director of Lung Cancer and Thoracic Oncology Program at City of Hope Medical Center. Dr. Massarelli received her medical degree and Ph.D in Molecular Oncology and Endocrinology from the University of Naples in Federico, Italy. She continued her postdoctoral training with dual Medical Oncology and Thoracic Head & Neck Medical Oncology fellowships at MD Anderson Cancer Center, a residency in Internal Medicine at the Methodist Hospital in Houston, and a clinical fellowship in Medical Endocrinology at MD Anderson Cancer Center. Her clinical interests include lung cancer and head and neck cancers, and her research focuses on mechanisms of resistance to EGFR targeted therapy in non-small cell lung cancer, and cell therapy. Dr. Massarelli is the recipient of several honors and awards including the ASCO Conquer Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award. She has published over 55 peer reviewed articles, numerous abstracts, and three book chapters.

Pearls of Wisdom:

• The best recipe for success is to have a passion for science and discovery united with compassionate care for your patients.
• Being humble is a sign of high intelligence because you understand that there is so much more to discover.
• If you're very focused, try to understand early during your fellowship what career track you really want to be on.
• On the physician track, you want to be a physician to help people and eventually go into a community site.