Research Summary
Melisa Wong, MD, MAS is a thoracic oncologist who treats patients with lung cancer and other thoracic malignancies. Dr. Wong has a particular interest in caring for older adults with cancer. Her goal is to provide personalized cancer care based on patients' values and goals.
Dr. Wong's research focuses on understanding and improving patient-centered outcomes in older adults with cancer. She and her research team study the impact of lung cancer treatment on patients' functional status and quality of life.
In 2005, Dr. Wong earned her undergraduate degree in Human Biology with Honors and Distinction at Stanford University. She then completed medical school and training in internal medicine and medical oncology at UCSF. Dr. Wong also completed advanced research training as an Aging Research Fellow in the UCSF Division of Geriatrics and earned her Master's Degree in Clinical Research in the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Dr. Wong is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), Cancer and Aging Research Group, Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology, International Society of Geriatric Oncology, International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, and American Geriatrics Society.
Dr. Wong was a National Institute on Aging (NIA) Butler-Williams Scholar in 2016 and received four Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Merit Awards (2016 and 2017 ASCO Quality Care Symposium, 2016 and 2017 ASCO Annual Meeting). In 2017, she also received a Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO/Vicky Merryman Women Who Conquer Cancer Young Investigator Award, UCSF Claude D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center Research Education Core Advanced Scholar Award, UCSF CTSI KL2 Career Development Award, and NIA GEMSSTAR R03. Dr. Wong is currently a NIA Beeson Scholar (K76) studying patient-centered decision making for older adults with lung cancer.
Research Funding
July 15, 2019 - February 29, 2024 - Advancing patient-centered decision making in older adults with lung cancer: Incorporating risk of functional decline into treatment discussions , . Sponsor: NIH/NIA, Sponsor Award ID: K76AG064431
July 1, 2019 - June 30, 2020 - Adaptation of the Best Case/Worst Case communication tool to geriatric oncology: Improving patient-centered decision making for older adults with lung cancer , . Sponsor: Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center-Mount Zion Health Fund Pilot for Junior Investigators in Basic and Clinical/Translational Sciences, Sponsor Award ID:
July 1, 2017 - May 31, 2020 - Expanding the Definition of Treatment Toxicity in Older Adults with Lung Cancer , Principal Investigator . Sponsor: NIH/NIA, Sponsor Award ID: R03AG056439
July 1, 2017 - May 31, 2020 - UCSF CTSI KL2 Career Development Award , KL2 Scholar . Sponsor: NIH/NCATS, Sponsor Award ID: KL2TR001870
Education
Stanford University, BA 06/2005, Human Biology (Honors)
University of California, San Francisco, MD, 06/2011, Medicine
University of California, San Francisco, Resident, 06/2014, Internal Medicine
University of California, San Francisco, Fellow, 06/2017, Medical Oncology
University of California, San Francisco, Fellow,06/2017, Aging Research (NIA T32)
University of California, San Francisco, MAS, 06/2017, Clinical Research