Biography

Sawsan Rashdan, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Internal Medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center, and a member of its Division of Hematology and Oncology. She specializes in treating non-small cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, and carcinoid tumors.
 
Originally from Syria, Dr. Rashdan earned her medical degree at the Faculty of Medicine of Damascus University. She performed her residency in internal medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine, where she also completed advanced fellowship training in hematology and oncology.
 
Certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in hematology and medical oncology, she joined the UT Southwestern faculty in 2016.
 
Dr. Rashdan’s research focuses on immunotherapy treatment in lung cancer, and she has published a number of academic articles on the subject. She has received funding to pilot a clinical trial to investigate the role of stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) plus osimertinib as first-line treatment in epidermal growth factor receptor-mutated non-small cell lung cancer. Additionally, she is the director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in the division of hematology and oncology, leading the effort to reduce inequities of health care and increase access of cancer prevention education in minority groups.
 
Dr. Rashdan also spends time teaching UT Southwestern trainees. She leads the lung cancer curriculum for the hematology and oncology fellows at Parkland in addition to mentoring many fellows, residents and medical students.
 
She is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, American Muslim Women Physicians Association, and the Dallas County Medical Society. At UT Southwestern, she is a member of several committees, including the Department of Internal Medicine's Supporting Women in Achieving Greatness (SWAG) committee, and the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee.
 
In 2017, she received a Pilot and Feasibility Biomedical Research Award from the Department of Internal Medicine.
 
Personal Note
 
Outside of medicine, Dr. Rashdan enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, and traveling.

Education
Medical School
Damascus University School of Medicine, Syria (2008)
Residency
Indiana University School of Medicine (2012), Internal Medicine
Fellowship
Indiana University School of Medicine (2016), Hematology Oncology

Research Interest
  • Immunotherapy Treatment in Lung Cancer

Publications

Featured Publications LegendFeatured Publications

Going into BATTLE: umbrella and basket clinical trials to accelerate the study of biomarker-based therapies.
Rashdan S, Gerber DE Ann Transl Med 2016 Dec 4 24 529
Salvage Therapy for Patients With Germ Cell Tumor.
Rashdan S, Einhorn LH J Oncol Pract 2016 May 12 5 437-43
Cumulative effect of zinc oxide and titanium oxide nanoparticles on growth and chlorophyll a content of Picochlorum sp.
Hazeem LJ, Bououdina M, Rashdan S, Brunet L, Slomianny C, Boukherroub R Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2016 Feb 23 3 2821-30
Effect of magnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles on the growth and photosynthetic pigment content of Picochlorum sp.
Hazeem LJ, Waheed FA, Rashdan S, Bououdina M, Brunet L, Slomianny C, Boukherroub R, Elmeselmani WA Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2015 Aug 22 15 11728-39
Nintedanib for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer.
Rashdan S, Hanna N Expert Opin Pharmacother 2014 Apr 15 5 729-39
Pyridyl thioureas as switchable anion receptors.
Rashdan S, Light ME, Kilburn JD Chem. Commun. (Camb.) 2006 Nov 44 4578-80

Honors & Awards
  • Pilot and Feasibility Biomedical Research Award
    UT Southwestern Department of Internal Medicine (2017)
  • Appreciation Award
    First Congress of Faculty of Medicine (2006)
  • Certificate of Excellence
    Ministry of Higher Education for Research Efforts (2006)

Professional Associations/Affiliations
  • American Muslim Women Physicians Association
  • American Society of Clinical Oncology
  • Dallas County Medical Society
  • International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer