Around Fox Chase

A new nationally funded research project led by Hayan Lee, PhD, an Assistant Professor and member of the Cancer Epigenetics Institute at Fox Chase Cancer Center, aims to help answer that question by studying how changes in our DNA over time influence aging and inflammation.

At Fox Chase Cancer Center, the stars are so bright you can even see them in the daytime. On the afternoon of June 16, 2026, Fox Chase employees, friends, and family gathered to gaze at the latest recipients of the STAR Award—Special Talent Achieving Results—one of the institution’s highest honors for employee recognition.

Louis Chai, MD, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been selected to be part of the highly competitive Society of Thoracic Surgeons Leadership Institute, a distinguished professional development program designed to cultivate the next generation of leaders in cardiothoracic surgery.

Lisa Bevilacqua, MD, an Assistant Professor in the Division of Thoracic Surgery at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been selected for the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Leadership Institute, a highly competitive national program that supports the professional development of rising leaders in cardiothoracic surgery.

Parth Desai, MBBS, MD, Assistant Professor in the Department of Hematology/Oncology and Director of Clinical and Translational Research for the Thoracic and Head and Neck Service Lines, has received the ASCO Conquer Cancer Career Development Award. The highly competitive grant supports physician-scientists as they translate promising laboratory discoveries into early-phase clinical trials.

Carolyn Fang, PhD, Professor in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been recognized with the 2025 Innovation Award from Cheltenham, Pa.-based lung cancer nonprofit Ride Hard Breathe Easy (RHBE).

When Colleen Coyne, MHA, spoke about her father’s heart surgery at Temple Health, she did not focus on the procedure itself. Instead, she described a quiet moment afterward: a nurse sitting beside his bed, gently holding his hand.

Austin Williams, MD, MSEd, FACS, Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgical Oncology at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has been elected to membership in the Society of University Surgeons (SUS), a prestigious national organization dedicated to advancing academic surgery through excellence in research, education, and clinical practice.