Our Community of Leaders
Our Story
The NUT Carcinoma Alliance was founded by families who know firsthand the heartbreak of this rare and aggressive disease.
Together with leading researchers, clinicians, and advocacy partners, we are united in one mission: to create better outcomes for NUT carcinoma patients.
We exist to bring connection, clarity, and hope to everyone affected by this devastating cancer.
Our Founding Families
Driving our mission through lived experience.
Each family has a unique story that fuels our collective purpose. Together, we provide the heart, vision, and determination that powers the NUT Carcinoma Alliance forward.
Suzanne and Craig Vincze
Max Vincze Foundation
The Victor Family
Maddie Woepse
Patrick Woepse Foundation
Bhas Nalabathula
Scientific Advisory Council
Guiding our research priorities and medical initiatives.
These dedicated experts volunteer their knowledge to ensure our work reflects the latest scientific understanding and addresses the most pressing needs in NUT carcinoma research and treatment.
Christopher A. French, MD
Professor of Pathology, Harvard Medical School
Professor of Pathology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
Dr. Christopher French is a world-renowned expert who played a pivotal role in the discovery of the NUT fusion oncogene, which is the defining characteristic of NUT carcinoma. As the overseer of the International NUT Carcinoma Registry, Dr. French has been instrumental in advancing our understanding of this rare and aggressive cancer.
While Dr. French’s primary role is as a pathologist rather than a treating physician, his expertise is invaluable to the NUT Carcinoma Alliance’s Scientific Advisory Council. He provides critical guidance on research directions and diagnostic approaches. Dr. French also offers pathology consultation services to assist physicians with accurate diagnosis, which is especially crucial for a rare cancer that can be challenging to identify.
His continued leadership in NUT carcinoma research has contributed to significant developments in both diagnostic techniques and potential treatment strategies, making him an essential member of our Scientific Advisory Council.
Geoffrey Shapiro, M.D., PhD.
Senior Vice President, Developmental Therapeutics at DFCI and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
Dr Geoffrey Shapiro, MD, PhD is a medical oncologist and clinical trial director, Dr. Shapiro leads the Center for Cancer Therapeutic Innovation, where he develops early-phase clinical trials focused on cell cycle and DNA repair inhibitor therapeutics, while mentoring early-career investigators.
He also directs Dana-Farber’s efforts in National Cancer Institute–sponsored trials and works closely across multiple disease groups to bring promising therapies into practice. As a member of the NUT Carcinoma Alliance Scientific Advisory Board, he advises on clinical trial strategy and helps advance urgently needed treatment options for patients with NUT carcinoma.
Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Thoracic Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Dr. Jia Luo brings specialized clinical expertise and research innovation to the NUT Carcinoma Alliance's Scientific Advisory Council. As a faculty member at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, she focuses on developing improved treatments for both KRAS-driven lung cancers and NUT carcinoma—two challenging areas in oncology that require novel therapeutic approaches.
Dr. Luo leads critical therapeutic clinical trials, including CTEP/ETCTN studies that investigate promising combination therapies specifically for NUT carcinoma patients. Her dual membership in the Developmental Therapeutics and Lung Cancer programs at Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center positions her at the intersection of innovative drug development and specialized oncology care.
Beyond her research and clinical responsibilities, Dr. Luo demonstrates a strong commitment to education, supervising students and residents in clinical investigation while mentoring the next generation of oncologists. Her comprehensive approach to advancing NUT carcinoma care—combining clinical trials, patient care, and medical education—makes her an invaluable member of our Scientific Advisory Council.
Section Chief of Thoracic and Head/Neck Oncology
Professor of Medicine, University of North Carolina
Dr. Jared Weiss brings specialized expertise in thoracic and head/neck cancers to the NUT Carcinoma Alliance's Scientific Advisory Council. His dedication to NUT carcinoma research began through his care for patient Ben Brown, whose family subsequently funded the first NUT carcinoma program at UNC—a pivotal initiative that established this important project at the university.
As a Professor of Medicine at the University of North Carolina, Dr. Weiss actively contributes to advancing treatment approaches through his work with the Personalized Immunotherapy Research Lab. His clinical leadership as Section Chief of Thoracic and Head/Neck Oncology positions him at the forefront of innovative cancer treatments in areas where NUT carcinoma frequently presents.
Dr. Weiss’s dual focus on clinical care and research makes him an essential voice on our Scientific Advisory Council, helping to bridge the gap between laboratory discoveries and patient care advancements for the NUT carcinoma community.
Benjamin Vincent, MD
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of North Carolina
Dr. Benjamin Vincent contributes vital expertise in immunotherapy and computational approaches to the NUT Carcinoma Alliance's Scientific Advisory Council. As a key researcher at the Personalized Immunotherapy Research Lab (PIRL), Dr. Vincent applies sophisticated computational immunology and immunogenomics techniques to better understand the complexities of NUT carcinoma.
His focused research on mechanisms of resistance versus response to immunotherapy is particularly valuable for a rare cancer like NUT carcinoma, where identifying effective treatment pathways remains challenging. Dr. Vincent’s computational approaches help decode the intricate interactions between the immune system and cancer cells, potentially revealing new therapeutic targets.
Dr. Vincent’s innovative work at the intersection of immunology, genomics, and data science represents an important dimension of NUT carcinoma research on our Scientific Advisory Council, offering promising avenues for developing more personalized and effective treatments for patients.
Alexander Rubinsteyn, PhD
Assistant Professor of Computational Medicine and Genetics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Alexander Rubinsteyn, PhD has a background in computer science and machine learning, his research focuses on computational cancer immunotherapy, genomics, and personalized cancer vaccines. After earning his PhD in Computer Science from NYU, Dr. Rubinsteyn shifted into biomedical research at Mount Sinai, where he helped launch and run three personalized cancer vaccine trials.
His lab now works on optimizing personalized vaccination strategies through advanced genomics and machine learning methods, while collaborating closely with experimentalists to improve vaccine formulation. His interests span neoantigens, cancer vaccines, genomics, and personalized medicine.
Robert Hsu, MD
Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at University of Southern California
Dr. Robert Hsu is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at University of Southern California focusing on thoracic cancers. His research interests are focused in lung cancer research along with cancer disparities across multiple solid tumor types.
His research includes projects involving comprehensive genomic profiling looking at biomarkers in lung cancer such as estrogen receptor, nectin-4, and MTAP deletions, retrospective database work looking at lung cancer patients treated at USC looking at mutation differences among different ethnicities particularly Hispanics, epidemiological research looking at lung and thyroid cancer incorporating the California Cancer Registry, translational research looking at tumor microenvironment and ethnicities in lung and breast cancer, and helping lead clinical trials in thoracic cancers at USC including CTEP/ETCTN trials led by NCI and Dana Farber Cancer Institute on NUT carcinoma. Dr. Hsu is a recipient of the Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials Career Development Award, an award focused on improving diversity in clinical trials and part of the 2024 IASLC Academy, a prestigious program geared toward early-career physicians worldwide who aspire to pursue academic careers in thoracic oncology.
Sarina Piha-Paul, MD
Professor in Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Sarina Piha-Paul, M.D., is an expert on early-phase clinical trials and drug development at MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the world's largest Phase I clinical trial programs.
She specializes in various therapeutic modalities including antibody drug conjugates (ADCs), immunotherapy, epigenetic modulators, and molecularly targeted agents.
Dr. Robert Hsu,
Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Division of Medical Oncology at University of Southern California
Despite caring for and seeing the effects of such a terrible disease, the inspiration of the patients and the families suffering from this and the determination, expertise, and innovation of the researchers across different disciplines gives me hope that there will come a day that NUT carcinoma can be curable.
Dr. Steven Dubois,
Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer institute
NUT carcinoma can affect people of any age, including young children. It is important that we have new therapies available even for younger patients.
Geoffrey Shapiro, M.D., PhD.
Senior Vice President, Developmental Therapeutics at DFCI and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
BET inhibitors have been the index targeted therapy for NUT Carcinoma but have only provided modest benefit. With ongoing research, BET inhibitor combinations with targeted therapies and immunotherapies represent significant hope for breakthrough treatments. It is critical for clinicians and researchers to partner with the founding members of the NUT Alliance to ensure patient advocacy is incorporated in the design and execution of our clinical trials. Those of us in academia are invigorated by the formation of the Alliance, which is long overdue for catalyzing advances for this devastating disease.
Collaborative Partners
Working together to expand our impact.
The NUT Carcinoma Registry
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
UNC Personalized Immunotherapy Research Lab
Crabtree Lab at Stanford
